Hollywood Royalty
by HardRiRi
Summary: Darien is the Prince of Hollywood. Serena is the Princess of Hollywood. Are these two destined for each other or will they have a public, glossy break up like most young glittering stars of the night?
1. Chapter 1: Prince of Hollywood

I don't know why I like writing about Sailor Moon characters set in a Hollywood theme, but it intrigues me as I hope it does all of you! ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters

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**Chapter 1: Prince of Hollywood**

Darien sat in the booth as the lights blinked wildly making the people on the dance floor move like they had a horrible case of epilepsy. The bouncing bass was killing his ears. He didn't know how much more of this he could really handle. He chewed on his tooth pick for a little bit longer with his arm hugging the top of the seat. The faceless girl sitting next to him was gossiping with his friend and co-star Rei across from him. She often entertained the women he was toting around like they were real human beings; she shocked him every time he witnessed their exchange. Being a famous actor had its perks, but being a chick magnet wasn't one of them. He actually detested it due to the fact that most of these girls were just a bunch of Barbie dolls; all looks and no brains.

He felt the toothpick in mouth finally give out to the hours of meddling in his saliva and it snapped in two. He removed the shaved piece of wood from his mouth and spit out some of the splinters that were left over on his tongue and in between his teeth. Darien placed the remaining limbs of the toothpick on the table and gestured to Rei that he was going to go outside to have a smoke. She nodded to him and kept the girl in question entertained with more discussion about the fashion show they all attended earlier that day. He strolled through the edge of the club and made it out to the balcony where the humid wind brushed his midnight black bangs out of his blue eyes. He took out a cigarette, slipped it in between his lips and lit it immediately. The smoke that filled his lungs calmed him down like an IV of relaxation being pumped through his veins. He sighed out some smoke and looked out over the city that was deemed as being "his". He had been titled Prince of Hollywood when he was sixteen, fresh on the Oscar red carpet with his first nomination. Ever since then he had been blessed with three other nods, a bunch of blockbuster hits, and now a brilliant teenage television show under his belt that made the girls and gays swoon at his chiseled face. His parents were resting comfortably and out of the limelight in Palm Desert for now while he led his lavish and highly photographed life across the glossy pages of the tabloids. Someone had obviously made a deal with the devil years ago making sure that along with fame came your every move catalogued by photo blogs, entertainment news casters, and crafty magazines. He hated that he didn't see a penny of his picture being used constantly; he was the reason they all did so well in the first place. His constant bouncing relationships with co-stars, future co-stars, and socialites were highly talked about. He still to this day hadn't ever fallen in love; it had always just been meaningless sex with lavish dates. "Heartbreaker of Hollywood" was another titled he had received from people. It some how made him more appealing to women and he didn't understand why.

Rei suddenly appeared at the glass sliding door, telling him that they were ready to go. He nodded to the dark haired girl with cold violet eyes and finished up his cigarette. Blowing out the last bit of smoke, he flicked the butt out of his grasp and onto the residing sidewalk. Or so he thought…

"Hey! Watch where you're flinging your burning cigarette butts you ass!" a sharp voice pierced through the sky.

He looked down to find some blonde girl with a pair of long pigtails trailing from her head and large blue eyes looking up at him. Darien watched for a second as she rubbed the top of her head where there were still remnants of ash in her hair. He flipped her off while she continued to flick some of the grey particles out making her even more angered. The guy she was with was trying to pull her away, but she wouldn't budge. She had a stubbornly determined look in her eye to get past him.

"Fuck you! Go back to your stupid club and stay away from the real world!" she screamed. "Nobody wants you here!"

He titled his head in amusement before walking back into the club to meet with Rei and the nameless girl. He quickly raced through the dance hall with the two women trailing him, their coats only half on their bodies. He trampled down the staircase, excited to get a taste of this girl who had talked back to him and clearly knew who he was. Darien made it outside with his security detail surrounding him. With a huge smile over his face he jogged up to the girl who was walking away now arm in arm the sandy blonde haired guy she had been standing with earlier. He reached out to grab her wrist and tugged her to follow him. Ignoring her protests, he pushed her inside the black SUV he had driven in. He shut out the rest of the group, locking the doors quickly before anyone else could climb in. The feisty little bird had an expression of shock and a twinge of fear swimming across her features while the windows were being pounded by multiple fists. When she locked eyes with him though, the fear went away and the previous annoyance crept over her face again making him smile.

"I'm Darien," he announced, holding his hand out to her.

She stared at it with disgust like it was a dead rat and then looked back at him, "I know who you are."

"But I don't know who you are."

"And I'd like to keep it that way."

"You fascinate me…" he whispered.

"Are you on drugs?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No. Why?"

"You pulled me off the street into an empty car to ask me my name. Normal people don't do that."

"I'm not normal."

"Clearly."

"Come on, tell me your name!" he begged.

"Why? So you can screw me, plaster me over all of your magazines, and then dump me in two days? The limelight isn't really my thing," she scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. He pulled out a pair of jingling car keys from his pocket and grinned at her. She threw her hands up in the air exasperatedly and said, "Serena! I'm Serena! Happy now?"

"Serena," he whispered, letting the name play on his tongue for a moment before nodding. "Okay. I'll let you go. Thank you for entertaining me."

"You're _not_ welcome," she growled as she was let out of the car to a gaggle of eyes staring her down and cameras flashing in her face.

He watched her intently as she rushed off with the blonde guy, clutching tightly onto his arm. Darien wondered if that was her boyfriend and then remembered that he was Hollywood royalty; he could what he wanted when he wanted at any moment. The front seat door was opened up, breaking him from his daze and the girl he had been tugging around like a bad accessory slid in next to him while Rei climbed in the front passenger's seat.

"What the fuck is your problem Darien?!" she exclaimed as the chauffer/body guard got in quickly and started up the car. "I hate those vultures outside just as much as you do!"

"Calm down Rei. It's not like you were out there for days," he murmured as he leaned his head against the cool window.

"Why did you have to pull _her_ into the car of all people?" she asked.

"Of all people?" he repeated. "You know who she is?"

"Yes. Don't you?"

"No! Who is she?"

"Serena Roddenberg," she answered.

"James and Karen Roddenberg's daughter?"

"Yeah dumb ass."

If Darien was considered the Prince of Hollywood, James and Karen Roddenberg were the king and queen who should have given birth to him or adopted him. They were amazing actors with seven Oscars between the two of them for movies that they've been in and directed. He had been trying to get into a project with them since he was twenty and actually learned a decent amount about the world of the glitz and glam. His manager just couldn't ever get him to have a meeting with them though so he often did projects that battled their own at award season. Everyone speculated that they would join forces soon enough, but it hadn't happened yet. Maybe with his romantic conquest, he would be able to kill two birds with one stone.

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**Please review and let me know what you all think! ^_^**


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting 1 Meeting 2 Meeting 3

Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing and reading so far! I truly appreciate it. ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters

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**Chapter 2: Meeting 1, Meeting 2, Meeting 3**

Darien kicked his feet up on the short coffee table at his agent's office as he flipped through his next script that he was thinking of taking on. It was an indie-romance that was bound to be a box-office smash and if played right, he could get a Golden Globe nod. He winced at the thought of it and his agent caught sight of the expression.

"What's wrong with it?" Cooper asked, his thick, silver and white hair making him look even more attractive than when he had black hair at one time. His perfectly bleached smile laid over his lips as he asked, "Are you thinking of who you're going to work with? I told you we wouldn't hire any girl until you were on board."

"I'm just tired of these films," he shrugged as he tossed the thickly bound script onto the wooden table.

The agent across the room removed his glasses from his eyes and stopped reviewing over the documents in hand, "You're _tired_ of these films? Well we could just have you do the television show for all eternity. You can end up like the actors from Friends and be only known for that."

"It's just …"

"What? What is it?"

"I ran into Serena Roddenberg last night," he announced, looking down at his hands that had just been freshly manicured an hour before arriving at the agency.

"I saw that in this morning's Page Six."

"Why can't I get into a film with the Roddenbergs attached? They are amazing."

"And they're exclusive," he replied. "It took Leo six times before he could even make a cameo in that detective film."

"Yeah and then he stared in that major bio-flick with them that caught him an Oscar nomination."

"You know Scorsese has been begging to work with you for a year now. Why not do something with him?"

"He's turning into box-office, not award worthy."

"Geez, someone's cynical."

Cooper stood up and walked around his desk so he could lean against the edge of it. He crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head to the side, studying his client. He had represented the little runt since his first commercial at age thirteen. Now he was this big hot shot who believed he deserved everything at his feet or on a silver platter. It wasn't like he had been born into this kind of lifestyle; he had worked for it. Cooper watched him earn every cent he was spending and then some. The kid had talent … raw, unmistakable, amazing talent. But his ego got in the way of a lot of things. Sometimes his manager, his agent, and the posse he worked with were able to mold it so that to prospective buyers, it looked more like unyielding confidence rather than arrogance. It was a difficult task to pull in the reigns, but someone had to do it.

"How do you suggest you get a film with the Roddenbergs?" Cooper asked curiously. "Because I've worked my ass off trying to get a meeting with them for you."

"Really?" Darien replied, his interest now peaked.

"Yes … and they …"

"And they what?"

"They don't like you," he answered, his voice slightly sheepish.

"They don't like me?" he repeated with a surprised expression over his face.

Cooper couldn't help but smirk a little bit at the visage that had washed over his client's face, "You heard right."

"What did I do?" he asked.

"What _didn't_ you do?" he responded as he walked over to his mini bar, pouring himself a generous drink of seltzer and gin. "You're constantly gallivanting around with women, you are at every party scene known to man, and you can't keep your sound bites off of television. I'm really surprised people still want to hire you. You're a liability."

"But I bring press to every film I do based on these escapades which in turn brings _money_!" he argued. "I've been known to have a long-term relationship, I can mellow out if I want, and I haven't smashed a camera since I was a teenager. And by the way, I replaced that camera! Paid for it in full from my own pocket."

"I know, but not everyone sees you as I do. A lot of people only see the pictures plastered on magazines or the blogs that are written about you. Your twitter account is used as supportive evidence on E! News when they want to confirm what you're up to," he explained. "You've become a huge image for this generation and you're followers are constantly up to date with your every move. Be a bit more tactful. The Roddenbergs pride themselves on privacy."

Darien nodded in agreement, "I mean, I did see Serena walk away with only one or two cameramen trailing her and even then they left her side when we started to drive off. She doesn't get photographed that much, does she?"

"No she doesn't and it's because her parents taught her the beautiful art of limelight discretion," he replied as he sipped on his drink. "It's a hard thing to accomplish, but one can do it."

"I've built my celebrity around being famous and infamous. I can't just remove the paparazzi away from me. They've latched on like an unwanted limb."

"Then find a way to turn it into something positive."

Darien left the meeting ten minutes later without anything accomplished and a fresh alcoholic beverage downed straight into his belly. He popped a piece of gum in his mouth as he entered the elevator. He, like the rest of the sardines in that tin can, stared at the glowing numbers as they ticked down to the ground floor. It stopped midway and let on a familiar face; Serena Roddenberg.

This was just the girl he wanted to speak to.

She glared at him over her shoulder as she took her spot in front of him in the crowded elevator. He leaned over a bit, invading her space, just trying to see how close he could get to her. She glanced at him a few times before sighing out loud, breaking the awkward silence.

"What do you want?" she asked with an annoyed tone in her voice.

"I was just talking about you with my agent," he answered, his body only centimeters away from her. Serena didn't press him to continue on with the conversation and instead kept her eyes glued to the glowing red numbers that didn't move fast enough for her. "We had very nice things to say about you."

"I don't care."

"You don't?"

"No."

He paused for a moment and then asked, "What are you doing here?"

"My parents have an office here."

"That's right! Your parents own their own film studio, don't they?"

"Ugh."

She pressed the open button and was promptly dropped off at the closest floor which happened to be six levels away from the street. She breezed out of the elevator, feeling Darien clack after her as she made her way to the steps. The two bounded down the cement and metal staircase, passing by a few people, mainly interns, on their way up to certain floors. By the third landing, she spun around and pushed him against the hard wall with aggravation.

"Would you stop following me?!" she exclaimed. Her nose curled up at the smell of his breath and she said, "You reek of alcohol."

"I do?"

"Yes!"

"Dammit! I thought this gum would help me. I don't want to smell like booze," he complained as he leaned against the wall on his own accord.

"It wouldn't be the first time the stuff turned into cologne for you after downing a few," she commented.

"So you don't want me to be around you, yet you're going to stand there and insult me?" he asked.

She immediately looked taken aback by the remark and rubbed her upper arm, "I'm sorry."

After a short pause, he asked her, "Why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't even know you."

"Exactly. So you can't dislike me."

"And I can't _like_ you," she retorted. "You're everything I hate about Hollywood."

"Wow … that's … erm … okay…"

"Listen, I have to go," Serena declared awkwardly as she started to walk down the second to last flight of steps. Before Darien could make another move, she protested, "Don't follow me, please. I've gotten enough flack from your swift moves last night. I don't need anymore unwanted press."

He watched her leave the stairwell as he continued to lean up against the cement wall like he was a James Dean wannabe from "Rebel without a Cause". He shoved his hands into his pockets before walking back up another set of sets to the third floor. Darien ambled through the office area that was used for some sort of health magazine. Before he could make it to the elevator though, he was stopped suddenly by a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned around to find a flighty, short brunette girl with light blue eyes and a beautiful porcelain skin. Her cheeks were blushing a little bit as she gazed up at him.

"Hi," she smiled. "My name is Lenora. Um … you're Darien Shields, right?"

"Yes, I am," he grinned with a toss of his hair out of his eyes. "Do you work here?"

"Yes, I do! And I was wondering if you would be kind as to … well … this is really out of the ordinary, but would you do me the honor of doing an article?" she asked. "I'm a junior editor here and getting a story from you would make my career!"

He couldn't help but laugh a little bit at her enthusiasm; it was endearing.

"I'd be honored," he smiled. He leaned toward her, his eyes studying her perfectly freckled face and deep pink lips. "Considering this is a health magazine, would I need to expose my dietary secrets?"

"I believe so," she nodded.

"Well, as long as it helps other people," he shrugged. "Call my people and we can set something up."

"Great!" she beamed.

The two shook hands and parted ways, each looking over their shoulder at the other. He entered the elevator with a broad smirk wafting over his features as he thought about how cute that girl was. Her wavy chestnut hair was beautiful and her eyes were captivating. Maybe he should take a different route to get to Serena…through a different woman.

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**Please review! Thank you! ^_^**


	3. Chapter 3: Making the Bait

Hope all of you are enjoying this fic as much as I am writing it! ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters

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**Chapter 3: Making the Bait**

Darien smiled as he stirred the noodles in the pot. He was making a stir-fry dinner for the girl he had met at the health magazine office. Lenora glanced at him as she pushed around the vegetables in the adjacent wok. Darien pulled out one of the thin rice noodles and chomped on it, testing to see if it was done.

"So now that it's finished cooking," he explained, "we drain it, put in the wok, add some soy sauce, a bit of ginger, some garlic, and lime to the mix and viola! We have ourselves a really healthy, low calorie, low fat meal." He took the giant pot of noodles over to the sink and started to drain them as he continued, "Now if you really want to go the extra mile and get some protein in there, you can add some chicken or tofu. Preferably, I like adding tofu, but when my guy friends are around they ask for meat … usually fried, which I don't recommend."

She giggled and stepped back from the pan as he took over the rest of the process. Once he was finished with the meal, he served it up into two bowls and gestured for her to follow him to the table that was placed beside the balcony glass door. The view from the ceiling to floor windows was spectacular; one could see all of glittering LA. It was this image that reminded him of what a shit hole he lived in, yet how lucky he was to have risen above it.

With her tape recorder still on, she asked him, "So do you have any unhealthy vices?"

"Smoking and coffee. I've been photographed a many a time with a glowing cigarette in my hand so I'm not going to deny it," he replied as he started to fork up a bite of food. "However, I have been trying to adjust myself from drinking coffee to drinking green tea. The stuff is better for your system and you can get some energy out of it."

"What sort of an exercise regimen do you have?"

"Three to four times a week I meet with a trainer here at my own personal gym and I go running on a daily basis for cardio and personal thinking."

"Personal thinking, huh?" she said slyly.

"Oh yeah. I need some time to be by myself and what a better moment than when I'm jogging in the park at dusk?"

"Whose body of all the celebrities out there do you admire the most?"

"That's a tough one," he mumbled behind his mouth full of food. "I'd have to go with George Clooney in clothes and Brad Pitt out of them. George has the swagger. Brad has the physique."

"What is your signature style, would you say?"

"My dad's 1973 aviators and a pair of fucked up Keds that I've had for years."

"What woman do you wish you could swoon?"

"You mean besides you?" Lenora blushed at his comment and he continued on, "I suppose the ideal candidate would be a runway model … any runway model actually. They all walk the walk but none of them talk the talk toward me."

"Really? That's surprising."

"They have attitude," he winked. "Maybe I'm too much of a hotshot."

Lenora clicked the recorder off with a push of a pink painted finger and rested her chin on her palm, "Did you really mean what you said?"

"That models have a 'tude? Yes."

"No, no, I mean that you wish you could make me swoon?"

"Oh that …. Yes I did."

She stood up from her chair and walked around the table to position herself in front of him. Lenora started to slowly unbutton her floral print collared shirt in front of him as she kept her gaze glued onto Darien. He made her pause by clasping a hand on her own and he tilted his head in curiosity.

"Are you sure you want to take this to an intimate level?" he asked. His plan was going a little bit faster than he expected.

"I know what I'm doing," she replied stubbornly as she straddled his lap.

She dropped her face toward him and pressed her lips deeply against his as she grinded her hips into his groin. He moaned a little bit behind her mouth as he felt her tongue jab in and out. He gripped the back of her head tightly and pressed her body close to his, trying to mold their torsos into a fitting puzzle piece. He pulled away and dragged his kisses down her neck.

"I want to take things slow if we're going to be doing anything," he said while burying his mouth against her shoulder. He could feel her go limp with disappointment and he kept going, "I'm attracted to you, I really am."

Lenora lifted his face to hers and smiled, "I thought you were all about getting women into your bed."

"You've been reading too many tabloids."

"So you're a relationship kind of guy?"

"With the right woman, I am."

'_And that woman will be Serena soon enough_,' he thought to himself silently.

"Okay then," she mumbled as she got up from his lap and buttoned her shirt all the way back up. "So what does this mean?"

"We'll go on dates, we'll hang out together … etc, etc, etc," he explained as she sat down and started to finish eating the stir fry he had made. "Let's hang out tomorrow. We'll go shopping or something."

"Shopping?"

"My style lives on keeping up with the latest weekly fashions," he replied with a sly wink.

When they finished their meals and he walked her to the door, she said to him, "I'll call you in the morning and we'll do lunch and shopping."

"Sounds good."

He leaned over and kissed her quickly on the lips before waving goodbye. He shut the door behind her and rubbed his forehead. And so the trial run has begun…

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Serena sat down at the kitchen table and poured herself a bowl of cereal. Once she was able to relax and munch on her Honey Nut Cheerios, she could take in the photos that were plastered all over the LA Times on her computer in front of her. She grimaced at the picture that was jumping out at her in the entertainment section; Darien was walking hand in hand with some new bimbo while shopping at expensive clothing boutiques.

"He's attractive," a voice said from behind.

She turned around and found her mother, Karen, standing above her. She was a tall, voluptuous woman who wasn't afraid to show off her curves and pinpoint herself in a crowd with her bright red hair. Women like her only came once every blue moon and especially in this day and age where the idea of beauty was to be cocaine-thin and hobo-chic with torn tights, heavy eyeliner, and ribcages popping out. She idolized her mother's boldness.

"You really think so?" Serena asked, looking back at the glowing screen. "I think he looks too smug all the time."

"Confidence?" her mother asked as she sat down next to her.

"Arrogance," she answered.

"A fine line he treks," she murmured.

"I feel like he's been following me," Serena said before shoving a spoonful of cereal in her mouth.

"He probably likes you."

"No, he probably wants to work on a project with you."

"So I've heard." Karen took the box of Cheerios into her hand and stuffed it inside, pulling out a handful of the sugared morning food. She popped a few of the sweetened o's in her mouth as she continued, "His agent called me again. He wants to be apart of the next movie we're looking into."

"Isn't he always asking for this?"

"Every time," she replied, shaking her head. "He won't let up. I've been wondering if maybe your father and I should finally just let him get into a project."

"Don't mom," she complained. "Unless he's suited for a role, then don't put him in."

"You're right sugar-lump," she smiled. She tossed the remaining pieces of food into her mouth and pinched her daughter's cheek, "I'm glad I have you around."

Karen sashayed out of the kitchen area and left Serena to stare at the screen in front of her. She quickly drank the remaining sweet milk that was left over from finishing her food and then shut her silver laptop closed. She put her dishes away and walked into her bedroom to get changed. In the middle of putting a t-shirt on over her head, she heard her phone ring on her dresser and struggled to get limbs all the way through the holes of the grey v-neck. She jogged across the room only in a shirt and boy-shorts and answered the phone quickly, not even noticing who it was on the other line.

"Heeeeey Serena," the husky voice said.

"Hi Haruka," she grinned. "What can I do for you?"

"My dear what are you doing this afternoon?"

"Meeting with my agent. Why?"

"Cancel the meeting. She was only going to tell you that I want you in an episode of the show," she said.

"Good lord, are you kidding me?" she groaned.

"M.O.D. Squad has run past Gossip Girl in the ratings! You have to come on! Just at least come in for a table reading. Please?" she begged.

"What scene are you offering me?"

"You'll see when you get here."

"I don't want to do a damn thing with Darien Shields."

"Well you'll never know what I'm offering until you get here."

Serena could hear the grin curve over Haruka's lips even through the phone. She knew that it would most likely be in her best interest to do a show like this and possibly get a reoccurring role, but she didn't know if she could stand being in the same vicinity as Darien. He just rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe it was the fact that she had been raised in this world all her life and to see someone abuse the system and abuse the fame was against her principles.

Biting her lip, she finally gave the reluctant answer, "Fine I'll be there. What time?"

"Yes!" Haruka hissed. "Come to the studio at eleven! I can't wait to see you there!"

"I'm coming in kicking and screaming," she informed her.

"Good to know."

The two hung up and Serena stared back at her reflection in the mirror that was attached to the dresser. She couldn't believe she was going to do this. Collecting herself, she got her things, put some pants on, and went into the master bedroom where she found her mother sitting on the bed with her laptop resting on her thighs.

"What's up honey-bear?" she asked, her eyes darting between the screen and her daughter.

"Haruka just called me," she announced.

"And?"

"She wants me to be on the show."

"With Darien Shields? Ha! What are you going to do?" she giggled.

"I dunno … I told her I would at least meet with them for a table reading," she shrugged as she sat down on the edge of the bed beside her mother.

"Have you talked to your dad about this?" Karen asked. "You know he wouldn't be too pleased that you're working with this spoiled brat."

"A spoiled brat working with a spoiled brat on a show that's all about spoiled brats who wield guns," she replied sarcastically.

The red head nodded, "I see your point." She sighed loudly and said, "Well, he'll be upset either way. I say you go ahead and do what you want and _don't_ let that boy get the better of you. He'll try to get in your pants in order to get into one of our movies."

"Yes because the pathway to one of your films is through my pants," Serena winked as she stood up and started to exit from the bedroom.

"Call me when you're done to let me know how it goes," her mother called out after her.

"Okay!"

She left their Beverly Hills modest mansion, driving out in a hybrid vehicle that her parents got her for her sixteenth birthday. On the way to the studio, through back to back to traffic, she wondered what the table reading would entail. Maybe she was being too paranoid about it; maybe Darien was just doing his job…

Serena would find out soon enough.

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**Please review! ^_^ Up next: the table reading!**


	4. Chapter 4: Cold Reading

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters

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**Chapter 4: Cold Reading**

His chest glistened with sweat as he continued to pound into Lenora, their bare thighs and body parts slapping together. Darien had tried to wait it out, but he had been sex deprived for a whole three or four days! The trailer's kitchen counter was not meant for a rough and wild time, however he had ways of holding the girl's legs in the air and adjusting her weight so that the flimsy creation didn't break or crack. His muscles tensed and his veins were popping out around his arms as he gripped tightly on her hips that had her charcoal pencil skirt pushed up. His eyes darted up from watching himself stab her to the slits of the outside that could be seen through the blinds on the window. As Lenora moaned and groaned loudly, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Serena walking up toward a lackey who was running around with a clipboard in hand and a headset. He stopped his movement, feeling himself deflate ever so slowly. Lenora was still begging wildly for him to continue.

"Please! Please!" she hollered hoarsely.

"Shut up," he mumbled under his breath as he pulled out of her and walked down to the bathroom where he could get cleaned up, removing any remnants of her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, feeling rather exposed sitting up on the counter top in just her lace bra and scrunched up skirt.

When he came back from the bathroom, he didn't answer her question but instead changed into some other clothes that he brought just for this occasion. Darien looked through the window again and was relieved to find that Serena was still talking to the inept boy who was pointing in all sorts of directions. He pulled a black t-shirt over his head and quickly jumped back into his boxer-briefs and a pair of dark blue jeans. While he was tending to himself and trying to look modest, yet sexy, Lenora was busy picking up the button down shirt he had worn before they ripped each other's clothes off. She quietly slipped it on over her body and waited for him to see her in that and just her panties and bra. He wasn't noticing her in the slightest bit though and was now heading for the door.

"Hey there," he grinned as he leaned against the doorframe of the trailer and narrowed his gaze due to the harsh sunlight beating down on him.

Serena turned around and he heard a distinct growl come from her coupled with a roll of her eyes, "Hi."

"Here for the reading?" he asked.

"Did you have something to do with it?" she replied, placing a hand on her hip.

"No. I had no idea you were coming until Haruka told me," he said honestly.

Lenora walked up behind him, slipping her arms around his waist and he looked over his shoulder at her. She was already fully attached to him emotionally now that they had had a romp around in his trailer. It was rather pathetic; he didn't know how long he could hold out with such an unstable girl. He gestured for Serena to wait for him and he gently pushed the girl back into the trailer, shutting the door behind them.

"I have work to do," he announced.

"So? I'll just wait in your trailer," she beamed as she rubbed his chest.

"No. You can't do that. I need you to leave the premises. If you need an escort, please feel free to ask for one, although with how the way things are run around here, that might be difficult," he explained. "I'll call you later tonight and you can come over for dessert or something."

She looked like she was about to cry so he pulled her in for a quick hug and a long, deep kiss before he exited the trailer. He was trying to play his cards right and it was proving to be more difficult than he expected. He hadn't anticipated that Lenora would have a personality as irrational as a high school teenager.

When he finally made it up to Serena he asked, "So are you lost or something?"

"As much as I don't want to admit it…" she trailed off, adjusting the strap on her bright red leather bag.

"I'll show you the way," he said holding his arm out to her like an English courtesan.

She ignored the jabbing elbow and just continued to walk alongside him as she continued with their conversation, "That girl in the trailer seemed absolutely smitten with you. New girlfriend?"

"Something like that," he shrugged.

"You have no shame, do you?"

"Compared to you, no."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked with an offended expression written on her visage.

"I'm much more free than you," Darien answered simply as they approached the one floor office room they were supposed to be at.

He held the door open for her as she slyly responded, "And yet you're so restricted by your image."

Before he could retort, he was interrupted by a joyous exclamation from Haruka. She ran up to Serena and hugged the girl tightly. Darien couldn't help but laugh at the shocked look on her face that was quickly erased once the director pulled back from the embrace.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" she said cheerfully.

"Wish I got a greeting like that," Darien pouted as he sat down in his seat next to Rei.

"You'd get annoyed with it in two seconds," the raven haired vixen replied.

"You're right. I'm even bored with talking about it now. Can we get our scripts?"

The assistant was dishing them out right as he said that and tossed him a rather irritated look before sliding the bound pages toward him. He flipped through a few of the pieces of paper, coming up to the opening scene.

"Alright guys," Haruka said as she took her place next to her partner in the television show and also one of the main writers, Michiru. "The lovely Ms. Kaioh is going to explain the concept of this episode that kicks off the new season."

"So," the stunning turquoise haired woman started, "we have Ares, aka Darien, waking up from a foggy dream where we're going to put in old shots of him fighting with Helena, aka Rei, from previous episodes. He gets ready for the night and leaves his apartment to stroll down the rather deserted streets of LA. He enters a club, lights up a smoke out on the patio and is asked for a light by Aphrodite, aka Serena. He automatically recognizes her as the assassin he's supposed to kill from a file we'll have him look at before he leaves. She knows he's her target but they end up having some witty banter here and there. He decides not kill her right away and instead plays with the idea of making her his concubine or something to that notion."

"Sounds like real life," one of the other actors quipped which created a wave of low laughter.

"Yes, we're a regular Law and Order, ripping stories from the headlines," Michiru glossed over with a wave of her hand. "Moving on, the next morning, he finds a rose on his desk with a tag that is clearly Aphrodite's signature … hearts, cupid's arrow or something of that nature. He goes to his head of M.O.D. and they have a discussion about the previous fight he had with Agent Helena. Zeus ends up getting angered that his top people can't get along with each other and says that he'll assign _her_ to kill Aphrodite if Ares can't do it himself. There's a roof fight that night between Aphrodite and Helena and Ares ends up getting in the middle of it, leaving all three of them to point their guns at one another. End scene."

There was a joint sigh exhaling from all the actors before they started to dive in and do a cold read. They took notes here and there on their pages and made it through quickly with the help of food and coffee. Once they were all finished, they shook hands with one another, said their goodbyes and exited to their respective cars. As Serena strolled out to her own vehicle, she was accosted by none other than Darien.

"Excited?" he asked, walking beside her toward the parking lot.

"Not in the slightest," she grimaced.

"If you keep having such a negative attitude about everything, you'll never get anywhere," he informed her.

"And if you keep pursuing me like you have been, my father will have your head," she remarked as they made it to her silver automobile. She unlocked the car and started to get in as she said, "We're going to be working together; don't make this harder than it has to be."

She zoomed off of the premises and dialed her mom's cell phone using the digital car phone her dad had installed. It rang out loud on her speakers a couple of times as she kept her eyes on the road and then her mother's sultry voice answered.

"How'd it go darling?"

"It was alright," she replied.

"That doesn't sound good."

"I just hate working with him Mom."

Karen sighed, "Well you can always back out before it leaks to the press."

"Eh, too late. The paparazzi clicked a few photos of me and Darien talking in the parking lot I think."

"Those guys swarm him like flies to shit."

"I know, right? It's disgusting. I don't know how he handles it."

"Oh, by the way your father is coming home tonight."

"Back from Brazil so soon?"

"He was only looking at locations. He wasn't doing that much research."

"Is that _your_ job?"

"I'm afraid so."

"If you need any help, let me know," she offered.

"Of course dear," Karen replied. "Listen, I'm just about to have lunch with an old friend, so I'll call you later, okay?"

"Yeah sure. I'll see you at home."

"Okay sweetie. Love you."

"Love you too mom. Bye."

* * *

Karen adjusted her formfitting blue tweed dress as best as she could with her hands delicately covered with half black leather gloves. She stepped up to the secretary at the desk and leaned forward.

"Please notify Mr. Crane that Karen Roddenberg has arrived," she declared.

"Will do ma'am."

The busty brunette spoke into the intercom and announced the lady waiting for her appointment. She was sent in immediately and was met with arms wide open from the silver-haired fox. She shut the door behind her, knowing that this wasn't going to be a pleasant discussion.

"You've finally caught my attention," Karen said to him as he strolled toward her.

"You've always had mine," he winked.

"Was it you who had this extravagant idea to ask my daughter to do the same show as your top client?" she asked.

"Maybe…"

"You're despicable."

"And you're a slippery one to catch," he retorted as he walked past her toward the mini bar adorned with whiskey and scotch among other alcoholic beverages to his liking. He held out a crystal glass toward her, "You're also not drunk enough for this conversation. Care for a drink?"

"You know I don't drink unless there's food to coincide with it," she said with a snide tone.

"No I don't actually," he grinned. "When we were together, you always drank no matter what coincided with it."

"And you also knew me before I married my husband. Must I remind you of this all the time?"

"No," Cooper replied, shaking his head. "Your last name and giant rock of an engagement ring remind me enough as it is."

"Seems like your brain is slipping in your old age," she snipped.

"Are we going to continue this petty banter?" he asked as he swirled his amber colored drink in his hand and stared at her with a glint his eye.

"If you keep looking at me like that, then yes this arguing will never end."

"Let's get down to business then, shall we?" he said as he sat down at the couch and bid her to join him, but she refused politely, standing in front of the coffee table instead. "Why won't you let Darien be apart of any of your projects?"

"You know very well why," she answered curtly.

"You're afraid of falling back in love with me, Red, I know," he smiled.

"You're so full of yourself."

"Can we be serious for a moment?"

"I don't want anything to do with you or that brat," Karen snapped. "Having him around my daughter is like feeding a baby poison! He'll ruin her platinum reputation that I have worked so hard to build!"

"You mean you and your husband?" he corrected.

"That's what I said."

"No it's not. You said, quote, 'her reputation that _I_ have worked so hard to build,' end quote. It's alright, your husband rides on your intelligence and everyone knows it," he said. "Let's be frank, Karen. How long have you been married?"

"You know full well—"

"Seriously, Red. Just answer my questions."

She pursed her lips and started to fidget a bit, ending up sitting in a chair across from him, "I've been married for … for fifteen years."

"And Serena is twenty-two?"

"Y-yes."

"Why wait so long to marry the bastard?"

"I was waiting for you to claim your stake," she said, her blue eyes glassy with tears. "Luckily Serena was young enough to not remember her father's absence."

"Which one are we speaking of? Me or the louse you caught with your sashaying hips?"

"This is the reason why I didn't want to be around you!" she exclaimed as she jumped up and wiped away the tears that were threatening to leap from her eyes. "You cause too much chaos in a life that is all about control."

"You're so melodramatic."

"I want that super rat to stay away from my daughter once she's done with the series. I'll see to it that she only do as many episodes as I see fit to raise her fame and not a minute more," she said sternly. "After that, I don't ever want to be contact with him. _Ever_."

She was about to reach for the handle on the door when he cut in front of her unexpectedly. She gasped shakily as he gripped onto her sharp chin, examining her face. Cooper pulled her closer to him. He pressed his forehead against hers and let his breath fall on her lips.

"You miss me, don't you?" he asked quietly.

"I miss who you used to be."

"I haven't changed much."

"That must mean I've changed what with raising a child and feigning a fake father."

"DNA … it's so overrated."

"Still as immature as ever," she growled, her tone dripping with venom. "Your wife is a lucky woman."

With that said, she whisked open the door and rushed out of there as fast as her Louboutin heels would take her. Once she made it into the elevator, she allowed herself to break down and cry, trying to take as deep of breathes as she could. Her chest heaved as she pounded her fist against the metal wall of the elevator. If anyone ever found out about her and Cooper having a child together, the news would be scandalous. Karen had built an empire upon her name and her husband's name which her daughter shared. Bringing shame upon her only child would break her heart more than any divorce that could possibly ensue.

* * *

**Please review! ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5: The Raging Tigers

The reviews and comments are great you guys! I really appreciate them! ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Raging Tigers**

Serena kicked her feet up on the coffee table when he mother walked in with a catalogue in hand. She plopped down next to her daughter, her red hair wrapped up in a black silk scarf and her bright red lips curved in a happy smile. She pointed to the glittering blue dress on the page.

"I think you would look excellent in that one for the premier party for M.O.D.," she said.

"Mom… do I have to go?" Serena whined.

"Yes you have to go. You need to make an appearance and show yourself off. It's like back in the sixteenth century when girls were exposed to the world at a certain age with balls and being presented at court. Well, now it's your time." She shifted in her spot and leaned her temple against her closed fist, "Are you going to take a date? What about that one boy you were seeing for a while?"

"Carlton? He's so conceited."

"Welcome to the world my dear," she grumbled. "You know that Darien will be bringing a date."

"Yeah. I've seen her before."

"I heard she was fired from her job. Never ended up turning in that story she had to write about him."

"I bet she's trying to gain him as a husband or something," Serena speculated.

"Well, you're going to that party darling."

"Hey Mom…"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever felt … _trapped_?"

"Trapped?"

"Yeah, like you're suffocating in a room full of people?" she elaborated.

Karen brushed a few of her daughter's bangs out of her face and asked, "Are you alright honey? Do you need to see Dr. Hirsch again?"

Serena stared off into space for a moment, her eyes glued on the picture of the dress that her mom wanted her to wear. Her world was fake. Everything was fake. Was she herself like that? She had been having an existential experience ever since Darien told her that he was freer that she was. Was this true? The more she thought about it, the more she felt like she had been raised in a cage like a tiger at a zoo. She should know her true jungle, her real home, but this was her whole world.

She shook her head and got out of her trance, standing up to her feet, "I gotta get going now, otherwise I'll be late."

"Okay honey," she replied as her daughter left. "Call me later. Bye!"

Once she heard the door shut, she was left alone with her own thoughts. She wondered if maybe Serena had any idea about Cooper being her real father. She was certain that she didn't, but with this day and age, you never know. Karen had done her best to keep all the records off line and even had Serena's birth certificate changed right around the time she was to be accepted into kindergarten, telling her husband that she was so out of it when on the drugs they had given her afterwards that she didn't remember to give him the birth certificate to sign. It was a strange request from her, but he had been so in love with Karen at that time that it didn't matter. He would sign divorce papers immediately after their marriage if she had asked him to. Grunting in frustration at all of these thoughts, she got up off the couch and walked into the master bedroom to get more work done.

* * *

Serena leaned against the brick wall of the final scene in the series. She had signed on for the third season, which was coming to a close now, and possibly a reoccurring role in the future fourth season. Her character was going to be leaving, making Darien's character – and probably Darien himself – oh so depressed. She had been pursued by him these last few weeks, trying to use their show as a catalyst. However, his girlfriend Lenora was overtly jealous and used any means necessary to make sure they weren't left alone in a room together. She often felt relieved when they were on set together because then she didn't have to hear the young girl's ranting when there were dozens of people in the room.

Darien approached the set finally and she was able to relax a little bit, knowing that she would be done with this show for a while. She crossed her arms over her leather cat suit covered chest as she studied his own costume; a long black coat with a matching turtle neck, jeans, a pair of steel toe boots.

"This is so cliché," she murmured under her breath.

"Don't I know it," he replied, obviously dismayed. "I argued that they should have dressed me in a suit or a motorcycle jacket …. Something other than an ensemble that says, 'I'm an assassin' so bluntly."

"Come on," she said, grabbing his hand and taking him off the set. "I can't possibly take you seriously when you're wearing this."

"You're not going to get your way."

"I _always_ get my way."

He let her drag him through the set and gestured to Haruka that would be back in a little bit. They made it to the stylist's wardrobe room and stopped in front of woman who was responsible for this horrendous outfit. Her name was Georgia and she was a slender young woman with her own fashion sense being torn straight off the runway at times.

"What can I do for you guys?" she asked as she shoved a pen in her thickly wrapped bun.

"I can't work with this," Serena announced, gesturing to Darien's outfit.

"Ugh, why?" she moaned.

"Because it's so cliché! It's stupid! Give him something more modern and less Matrix, please," she ordered.

"Ami!" Georgia hollered.

The short blue-haired girl came rushing up with her clipboard in hand and looking extremely flustered. She was the woman who researched everything from the type of guns they used, the outfits they wore, to the make-up that was placed on their faces as well as the set design. They were as authentic as the television show Mad Men, if not more so even though it was a rather out of this world story line. Ami was able to make it work though using references from Greek Mythology, the CIA, and even stories from the FBI. She was the woman to go to for any questions about the validity of _anything_ in the show.

"What can I do for you?" she asked breathlessly.

"Can you change this outfit for me? I can't stand it," Serena said. "Even my own is a bit over the top."

Ami flipped through a bunch of papers and then called for her own assistant who handed her a binder full of images. She came up to a photo of a male model walking down the catwalk with a shorter brown coat with gold buttons, a pair of blue jeans, some fur lined boots and a thin, button down shirt. Darien nodded in agreement and looked to Serena who seemed to highly approve of the outfit. Ami then showed the blonde actor a photo of woman walking down a runway with a blue, lacey blouse, a sequined jacket, a pair of satin pin striped pants, and the a pair of shiny black heels. Ami flipped through a few more pages and suggested that maybe she wear a hat with a lace covering pulled over her face to compliment it. She agreed to the whole outfit as Georgia went through the large wardrobe and was bringing the pieces out to them as fast as she could find them. The two actors were starting to change into their outfits while Georgia and Ami left them alone.

"Thanks for getting them to change their minds," Darien said as he stripped out of his clothing.

"You have to be more aggressive," she replied as she unzipped her cat suit quickly and did her best to remove her body from the leather entrapment.

"I'm aggressive in _other_ ways," he said cockily as he took his shirt off.

They were both undressed completely, only in their underwear, when suddenly the door burst open. Darien spun around to find that it was Lenora in a rather frantic state of drunkenness. She swaggered in, her eyes half open and lips glossed with whatever alcoholic drink she had stowed away in her silver canteen that was clutched in her hand tightly.

"What the fuck is … goin' on here?!" she exclaimed, her words slurring ever so gracefully.

"Ah shit," Darien mumbled as he jumped into the tight jeans he was supposed to wear.

He ended up tearing the knee as he did this, but ignored the ripping sound as he padded out of the room barefoot, pushing his girlfriend out the door. Serena could hear him call for an aide to get her off the set and into his trailer immediately, maybe even get her some water. Lenora cursed at him, tried her best to argue with him, but she was whisked off like a platter of cheese gone bad on the Kraft buffet. He returned to the room and this time locked it behind himself.

"She's not about to listen to reason," he shrugged as he started to finish getting dressed.

Serena was just buttoning up her blue blouse while she gestured with a pointing chin, "You think you're gonna need new jeans?"

He looked down at them and mumbled, "Dammit. Nah … fuck it. It'll add more character to my outfit."

She grinned as they continued slip into their separate clothing. She glanced at him for a moment once she had finished everything, and asked him, "Do you like her? She seems like a lot of trouble for a star of your status."

"You're telling me…"

"Why are you still with her if she's so difficult?"

"Going to bed alone is a lot harder than going to bed with a person whom you're having a deteriorating relationship with," he said.

"Really? I would assume it's the other way around," she quipped.

"You've never been in a serious relationship, have you?" he asked.

"Define 'serious'. Yours cannot be considered as such."

"Touché," Darien grinned as he finally got his boots all the way on. He opened up his arms with his coat on and asked, "What do you think? Should the coat be opened or closed for the final scene?"

"Open."

"Alright then."

As they exited the room, she asked him, "Are you going to bring Lenora to the premiere party tonight?"

"That's like letting a wild tiger loose in a meat factory," he laughed.

"I guess you're right."

This brought her back to her own imagery of herself as a tiger being caged up in a zoo. Would she finally be able to run free amongst the other creatures of the night like she had always wanted? Part of her hope so and the other part of her was scared to find out.

"What about you? You gonna bring anyone of any significance?" Darien asked

"No one comes to mind, so I suppose not," she answered.

"Wanna go together?" he suggested.

"Wanna be mauled by that tiger you just spoke of?" Serena scoffed. She wasn't just speaking of Lenora either when she made that joke, but he didn't know of it.

The two made it back on set and took their spots as the crew came back together, adjusting into their positions. Darien flipped his black hair out of his eyes and asked seriously, "Come on. We'll go as co-stars. Nothing else. A lot of celebs do that."

"Do they all have rumors about their relationship plastered all over the magazines?" she retorted.

"Most do," he nodded.

She took a few second to think about it, furrowing her brow and biting on her nail as she did. Haruka shouted for her to stop chipping away at the nail polish they had just painted on and she removed her finger from her mouth immediately. Serena's blue orbs traveled back over to Darien who was staring at her with a sly expression.

"Fine, we can go together as co-workers and friends, but nothing else," she ended up saying.

"Cool. I'll pick you up at seven," he smiled right as Haruka called for quiet on the set.

* * *

"Did I pull the right move Mom?" Serena asked as she adjusted her dress a little bit, examining herself in her full length mirror. She opted for a cerulean satin dress that was formfitting with wide shoulders instead of the tiny sequined on her mother had begged her to wear; it was too flashy for her demure taste.

"Are you talking about the dress or the fact that you're going with Darien Shields?" she replied snidely.

Karen was lying on Serena's four-poster bed with a magazine in her well manicured hands as she flipped through the images. That very company, some sort of hipster magazine, called her that day to schedule a possible interview and photo shoot with her daughter. She said she would contemplate it and get back to them. They at least made all the girls wear black tights and there weren't any signs of nipples being shown in any celebrity spreads…

"The latter."

"You know your father will have a conniption the moment you get home."

"Let him have his fits. He's always been so over protective of me."

"As he should be!" she exclaimed, throwing the magazine across the bed. "He's only looking out for _your_ best interest."

Serena spun around with a shocked look over her face as she replied, "That's all fine and well, but I am a full fledge adult, you know."

"Who has yet to move out of her parent's house," her mother snapped back.

"Dad would have a heart attack if I moved out," she grinned.

"It would give him less control, that's for sure. But if you want to have your own life as you have been complaining about nonstop since accepting this role on this television show, then I suggest you start taking the steps for it," Karen advised carefully.

The doorbell rang making both of them jump slightly. Her mother briskly strolled up to the door, smoothing out her pastel yellow raw silk dress that she had on for a banquet she would be attending with her husband later that night. After adjusting her hair and pouting her lips, she swung open the door only to have all the blood rush away from her face.

On the other side stood Darien and his agent, _Cooper Crane_.

* * *

**Please review! ^_^ Up next is the encounter with Cooper and the party!**


	6. Chapter 6: Betting on a Whim

So sorry it's been taking me such a long time to get this chapter out you guys! I've been on vacation. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters

* * *

**Chapter 6: Betting on a Whim**

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" Karen asked with venom dripping from every word as she narrowed her gaze at the man in front of her.

She had completely forgotten that Darien was standing next to Cooper and continued to shoot proverbial daggers into him. He leaned forward and asked, "May we come in?"

"Yes of course!" Serena said before her mother could decline. "I need to go grab my purse anyways."

The fiery redhead stepped aside gracefully and let the two walk inside. They stopped after just a few strides into the lovely home and examined the décor. It was simple with light ocean blue coloring, white lining and beautiful dark stained furniture to coincide with it. Karen continued to glare as she walked into the kitchen and poured herself a quick drink.

"Mind making me one?" Cooper asked.

"Yes I do," she replied sweetly.

Darien eyed the exchange between the two of them and silently begged for Serena to hurry up. If they didn't get out of there soon, dishes would be flying. He didn't know why there was such thick tension between them, but at this rate, he couldn't care less. Once Serena strolled out of the room in her lovely deep blue dress and her glittering silver clutch in her hand, Darien stood up and pushed the small of her back to guide her out of the moderate mansion. She waved goodbye to her mother who forced a smile on face and wiggled her fingers at her daughter leaving.

The moment the door closed, her facial expression of feigned happiness dropped down into her drink as she said, "I won't repeat myself again; what on god's green earth are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you," he grinned. "And to escort my client to pick up your daughter."

"They have left, in case you haven't noticed," she replied before quickly sipping her beverage. "You should have escorted him out of here."

"Eh, he can't take care of himself," he said with a shrug.

Karen slammed her drink down onto the counter with a loud bang and she exclaimed, "What the _fuck_ do you want?!"

"I want … I want …."

She leaned forward and gave him a look that matched what she said, "Yeah? You want _what_?!"

"I want _you_," he finished.

Pursing her lips tight, she shook her head silently, "No. No. No. No. You can't do this to me."

"Do what?!"

"You know exactly what! You come here on your high horse. You divulge your feelings of love and affection for me. Jesus, you're such a piece of work Cooper!" she snapped.

"I'm merely—"

"Playing a game! That's what's you're doing!" she interrupted. "If I had it my way, I would never have to deal with you in my life!"

"But …?" he prompted.

"There is no but!"

"Oh I think there is, which is also why I came here. I wanted to know what you're keeping from me."

"Keeping from you?"

"You won't return my calls. You won't respond to my e-mails," Cooper listed. "For the last few weeks, I've been thinking you might have dropped off the face of the earth, but then I look at paparazzi blogs and find pictures of you at functions and events. You're alive and kicking red; why won't you reply to me?"

"You only think about yourself," she whispered, realizing that he never wanted her to begin with. He had always wanted her connection to her husband.

"So will Darien ever get an interview or a try at one of your pieces?" he asked with a cock of his head.

"I can't fucking believe you."

"Believe it baby," he smiled evilly, raising his arms up and then dropping them at his side.

"Get out," she murmured. "Get out before my husband comes home."

"I already am home."

The two turned and looked to find the broad shouldered, blue eyed, blonde haired man that had just entered the home silently. That was one of the things that Karen had found disturbing about her partner; he was stealthy and snuck up on her when she least expected it.

* * *

Darien helped Serena out of the limo when they made it to the party. There were the flashing bulbs everywhere, a guarded rail blocking off the screaming fans, and some reporters stabbing their microphones in their faces. Serena did her best to not scowl at all of this; she had to keep a smile on her face at all times. Darien glanced at her fake happy visage and was pleased to see she had picked up the reigns so easily. Even though he could tell that smile was fake, it was still beautiful to the whole world.

"Don't hold my hand," Serena begged against his ear as they made it to the red carpet with the rest of the cast.

They all stood in a row and let the paparazzi snap multiple photos of them. Each one of them filed into the club after being photographed what felt like a thousand times. Serena brushed a strand of hair over her shoulder and then looked at Rei who had stepped up beside her.

"Now what?" she asked her, scanning the crowd of sparkling women, flashy men, and bright cocktails that looked like they were glowing in the dark.

"Now we dance and drink until we can't stand any longer," Rei replied, trying to raise her voice over the booming music that played a remix of the opening song to the show.

Darien leaned over and yelled in her ear – since that was the only way to possibly communicate in that environment, "Want me to get you a drink?!"

"A soda would be nice!" she yelled back.

"A soda?!"

She nodded defiantly and gave him that "don't-question-me" look. He shrugged and then grabbed her hand in order to push through the crowd to the glowing bar. Darien wondered if this exchange, these little touches, the simple gestures or anything else that seemed physical would get back to the press. You always see in tabloids that there's a quote from a "close friend" of the said celebrity, but that's never the case. It's always a person who just happened to be there at the club and wanted to fabricate a story. He handed Serena the drink he ordered for her sipped on his own.

"What did you end up getting? A seven and seven?" she asked, pointing to his clear, fizzy drink.

"Close. I got a seven up," he answered with a raised eyebrow. "For someone who doesn't drink, you sure know them pretty well."

"I never said I don't drink," she replied. "I just choose to not drink around you. What if something goes wrong? What if I stumble out drunk from the club and pull a stunt like many of these other starlets have?"

"So what? You're only human. You can't be expected to be anything more than that," he stated with a tilt of his head.

"Says the man who has made a career out of being the paparazzi's bad boy," she grinned.

"I'm not that bad," he argued.

"You were just photographed outside your apartment fighting with Lenora this morning," Serena mused.

"You check those awful blogs?"

"I have to see if I'm on there. My father would be furious."

"He really holds the reigns on you doesn't he?"

She didn't answer and just continued to sip her drink while leaning her elbows against the bar. Rei glanced at the two talking and then got back into her own discussion with a fellow co-worker. Darien could feel the tension build just from the mention of Serena's father. There was something more there. Maybe it had to do with what Karen and Cooper had together. Or was it something completely different?

Serena walked away from the bar during Darien's daze. He snapped out of it and tried to follow her as quickly as he could without looking like he was trying too hard. She made it to an empty table and he promptly sat down next to her. She eyed him for a moment, examined the people around her before leaning toward him.

"My dad is a bit overbearing," she started. "He was furious when he found out I was going to the show with you."

"Why?"

"He hates you."

'_Thus why I can never get a meeting with them_,' he thought to himself.

"Between you and me, I think he's a bit jealous of the fame and prosperous lifestyle you've gained so easily," she sighed.

"Your father is the most well known director in this city! Why would he be jealous of me?" Darien asked, flabbergasted.

"He's had to work really hard to get where he's at," Serena explained. "My mother is the one with the genius ideas. He can execute it, but not without her help. He was lucky to have met her when he did."

"Geez … so the critics have been right all along," he said. "For years they've praised your mother, you know that?"

"Yes. She passes it onto my dad. They both hate press on anything besides their work. If it's on them … well … they freak out. It's weird."

"I can see why they've been so reluctant to let you out of their bubble."

"You have no idea."

Suddenly Rei pulled a chair out beside Serena and asked, "So why don't you just pop that bubble? Rebel a little bit!"

"Rei … don't give her any ideas," Darien winked. "Serena can't keep up with this lifestyle, let alone live in it."

She leaned forward and twisted her face up with defiance, "Excuse me? You think I can't keep up?"

"Not in the slightest," he said simply as she finished off his drink and started to chew on his ice.

"What is it that makes _your_ life so much more difficult than _mine_?"

"_Well_," Rei chimed in, "first off, we can't go shopping without photographers around. Can't do anything really …."

"Rei has even had a store closed off completely and the blinds shut so that she could shop in privacy," Darien grinned.

"It was a little extreme, but that was when those baby rumors were so high," she explained with a roll of her eyes. "Another thing that makes this world so hard for us, is that everyone thinks they know you. When I was younger and was in my party phase, everyone was 'reaching out' to me and trying to give me advice. I even got a call from a high end celebrity – whom I didn't even know she knew my name! – and she told me to take care of myself."

"Did you heed her word?" Serena asked.

"I didn't have to. I wasn't _that_ bad," she answered quickly as she closed her mouth over her straw.

Serena could feel Darien's distaste with her statement and she wondered if those rumors about Rei needing to go to rehab were correct. She seemed stable enough and didn't look like she was crazy. The man sitting next the blonde even seemed more unbalanced than Rei. He would stop at nothing to get good press, bad press, it was all positive for his image not matter what. Would she just be another ploy? A boost in his step toward her parents? She was awfully weary, but tried to make it unknown as she continued on with the conversation with Rei.

"So basically, I just need to get out there with you guys?" Serena asked.

"Yeah. See if you can handle this real celebrity life we live in," Rei replied.

"Okay. Where do I start?"

"Oh, do we care to bet on this?" Darien asked excitedly, rubbing his hands together.

"I'd be delighted!" Serena beamed.

"Great!" he laughed. He was happily surprised that she was so taken with this. "If you can't hang with us for one full month, then I win."

"And what do you get?" Rei asked.

He darted his gaze between the two women for a full minute and then answered, "I want a romantic date with Serena."

"HA!" Rei exclaimed loudly. She fell into a fit of giggles as she watched Serena's expression go from intrigued to shocked and disgusted.

"You have a _girlfriend_!" Serena snapped.

"Not for long. I'm thinking of cutting her loose."

"Cutting her loose? Like she's some animal that needs to find new owners?!" she roared.

"Don't get hysterical by my use of words," Darien replied.

"You are _awful_!" she said as she stood up to her feet and started to get her things together. "And to think I was starting to believe you weren't some player who bounced from girl to girl."

Ignoring her comments, he asked her, "What happens if you win?"

"You don't talk to me ever again," she said seriously. "Maybe then I'll be free of this place…. Ugh!"

She pushed her way through the crowd, trying to shake the feeling of Darien's words off of her. Was he seriously like everyone else? Was he this misogynistic? He seemed to be just as spoiled as everyone said he was. She felt like she was going to regret this bet and her father was going to help in that.

* * *

Karen bit on her nail as her husband sat down next to her with a drink in his hand. This was awkward. Really awkward. Not the fact that her husband came home early and found her and Cooper talking rather vehemently with one another. No, as it turned out James had _called_ Cooper! He wanted to set up a pre-pre meeting with him without his wife's knowledge, but that wasn't Mr. Crane's style. He liked to shove her face and nose into anything that would make her uncomfortable these days. She figured this was a tactic to get his client into one of her projects, but it certainly wasn't going to work. Not if she had anything to say about it.

So here she was, sitting between her husband and the father of her child as they discussed possible role ideas and imaginary contracts. Karen kept from making he leg shake by sitting on her bare feet. She and James had decided to not go to the charity dinner that they had originally planned on because of Cooper's sudden appearance. The man was m.i.a. for years and was completely erased from his biological daughter's life and _now_ is when he wants to barge in! She narrowed her blue gaze at him wondering what the fuck was going on in side that empty, thick skulled head of his.

"Well, I wish we could have met in private," James said as he looked over at his wife. "I like to bring these things to Karen on my own and then develop the ideas together. Look at how tense she is."

"Oh because keeping your wife in the dark about this meeting isn't what is making me tense at all!" she exclaimed sarcastically. "I had to find out about this by him interrupting my evening? James, I wish you would be more open and honest with me."

"You're one to talk," Cooper scoffed as he downed his drink.

"What does that mean?" James asked, eyeing him for a moment.

Slamming the empty glass down onto the coffee table, he told him, "She probably didn't inform you that Darien escorted your daughter to that wonderful party tonight, did she?"

James turned to Karen and shook his head, "No she didn't."

"You would have freaked out."

"Just like you would if you knew about my meeting with Mr. Crane," he stated.

"So we're all on the same page!" Cooper smiled as he stood up.

He was getting ready to leave right at a perfect moment; Serena breezed on into the mansion and swiftly made it to her room with a slam of her door. Her parents were standing along with Cooper, wondering why Serena hadn't said a word and even more suspiciously, she was visibly upset when making it to her room as fast as possible. The group of adults simply smiled at one another and then said their goodbyes.

When everything was said and done, Karen walked into the kitchen to get herself a glass of wine. That meeting shook her up. Darien Shields was getting closer and closer to their daughter and Cooper was getting closer to the mother lion. She sipped on her huge glass of white wine as she waited for her husband to discuss the topic that was hanging in the room.

James shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to his wife, "This is your doing. This whole Darien and Serena escapade.... Did you think the night would end on a positive note?"

"James, sometimes you need to take responsibility as a parent in this girl's life. You're the one who set up a meeting behind my back! A meeting with this supposedly destructive young man's agent! You want him as far away from our girl as humanly possible? Then don't get close to Cooper!" she shouted. "You hate Darien! I hate Cooper! Why can't we leave them out of our projects like we always have?!"

"Because it's the best deal possible!" he hollered. "He's willing to cut the paycheck down in half if we hire him! Do you know how priceless that is?!"

"No, it has a price, James. It's five mil, right?" she commented with a sly grin on her face.

"Karen … we need to come to an agreement," he sighed. "Darien is a shining star that won't go out quickly. We should snatch up his talent while we still can."

"But you want to keep him away from our daughter? Can you make up your mind?" she asked, slamming her palms down on the counter.

"You're just as bad! You don't want her to be around him yet you're willing to let her be in this ridiculous television show with him? You're the pot calling the kettle black."

"I have my reasons for what I'm doing," she said through gritted teeth. "She is starting to get out in the limelight. We can't avoid it any longer so why not get her into one of the _best_ television shows on cable?"

"You're such a hypocrite!" he laughed.

"We're never going to get anywhere if we keep arguing in circles like this," she murmured before taking a gulp of wine. "At least Serena is done with the television show. If we sign with Darien for this future project, he'll be around her for a solid year, if not longer. My way _only_ lasted a few months … your way will last a few months _too long_."

"I won't discuss this any further. When I have my real, private meeting with Cooper, I'll figure out what we can do," he informed her.

"Gee, thanks for letting me know, hon," she said flatly.

"You're welcome," he replied curtly.

She watched as he strolled into their master bedroom in the back. They were both trying to balance looking out for their daughter's best interest and trying to make amazing films. It was difficult. Darien was a talent that they had passed up multiple times. The press had questioned as to why they had done this when there were plenty of roles he could easily fill if he wanted. This upcoming project in fact was practically calling his name and all the critics knew it.

Downing the rest of her drink she went to go knock on Serena's door. There was no answer. Obviously the kid didn't want to talk so Karen went to go climb into her large fluffy bed with her husband who was overwhelming the room with tension. She should have just slept in the guest bedroom, but there was no getting out of it now. She got into bed, turned the light out and wondered what their complicated future held.

* * *

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	7. Chapter 7: Let the Games Begin!

The chapters are going to get better and better! ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters

* * *

**Chapter 7: Let The Games Begin!**

Serena wondered what the hell she was doing. A few weeks ago, she had agreed to keeping up with a certain standard of living that she wasn't used to. Yes, she was born into this lifestyle of getting everything she ever wanted and never having to worry about money, but she hadn't ever been able to go photo shoots, fashion shows, or been followed by the paparazzi before. Her parents must have had some magic in their genes because most children of superstars were on a crash course to rehab by this point in their lives.

She looked at her diamond encrusted watch and decided it was time to go meet with Rei after all. She got into her car and drove off into the god awful bumper to bumper traffic that defined Los Angeles. Her cell rang as she drove and she shoved her Bluetooth earpiece in so that she wasn't distracted completely by her phone.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hi sweetie," her mom greeted on the other line.

"Hi."

"I never got a chance to really see you last night. How are you?"

"Exhausted," she sighed, thinking about the club she had been to with Rei and Darien. "Last night was overwhelming. I didn't know what to do there other than stand and smile for the cameras or sit at the bar with a soda in my hand."

"I saw the pictures online. You looked gorgeous. That yellow dress was a lovely choice," she complimented.

"Thanks."

"So what's really bothering you?"

"I made a bet with Darien and Rei."

"What was the bet?"

"They think I can't live up to their lifestyle," she chuckled. "That's why I've been out and about so much recently."

"Oh dear…" Karen exhaled.

"Yeah …. So I'm off to a photo shoot with them right now for a magazine that's going to be promoting M.O.D. and the upcoming season," she stated.

"You've only done like two photo shoots, so this should be exciting," her mom replied. "I mean you've never been on set with anyone else."

"Yeah, should be interesting."

"Is Cooper going to be there?" she asked.

"I don't know. Why?" Serena responded curiously.

"He's trying to get through to your father in order to get Darien into our film," she explained.

"But Dad hates Darien! Why would he want to work with him?!" Serena exclaimed.

"My thoughts exactly. We're getting hit hard by the critics of our films asking why we haven't used him. He's been at his peak level as an actor for years now. There's no telling when he'll crash or _if_ he'll crash, but your father believes we need to snatch him up before that happens."

"Every star burns out sooner or later."

"Yup."

"Well mom, I gotta get going. I'm coming up to my exit."

"Alright. Call me later. Love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

She continued to drive through downtown LA and made it to the studio that she was told to go to. She found Darien standing outside the brick building smoking a cigarette and squinting in the sunlight. When she got out of the car, she felt a wave of nervousness and anger flood her veins; this was going to be a weird day. She walked up to the doorway just as Darien was stomping out the last bit of the butt. She strolled into the studio with him trailing behind her to find the place already decked out with a grey screen background, four or five racks of clothing, and half a dozen of people as the staff readying up their areas. Rei was already consulting with a stylist to decide on what she was going to wear for the shoot.

"Hi Serena. Hi Darien," she waved while continuing to pull pieces out and examine them. She turned to the stylist and said, "I want this black lace and sequined top and these dark purple and black leather pants with a pair of silver heels."

The stylist, who was this short, chubby, dark skinned man, nodded and then looked over at Serena. He was wearing a pair of neon orange glasses, a pale blue button down shirt and light plaid tan pants with dark brown loafers; he was the epitome of fast forward styling.

"Dahliiiiin!!" he exclaimed as he walked up to her. "Whatchoo wanna wear for this shoot?"

"Um, I dunno. I haven't looked yet," she said slowly.

"Where are my manners?! My name is Julian! It's a pleasure to meet you!" he smiled, shaking her hand. "Now sweetheart, you got this great body with amazing gold hair … you should wear this!"

He pulled out a silver metal turtleneck dress for her that looked like it was made of giant, sparking fish scales. She kept her lips shut tight and nodded with a curious expression washed over her face. He then handed her a floral print top and pair of denim shorts with some black suspenders. Serena scratched her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"You're the stylist," she said.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" he whined.

"I don't have a sense of style, as you can see. I wear jeans and t-shirts with a pair of flip flops," she replied, showing off her blue v-neck, grey pants, and brown sandals. "Seriously, I'm not meant for this."

"Honey I saw you last night! You were exquisite in that dress!"

"Well, I had help from my mom," she smiled.

"You mean the va-voom va-voom Karen? Ugh! You come from a great pool of genes!" he laughed.

"Thank you?" she replied with a questionable look written across her face.

Julian looked over at Darien and arched an eyebrow, "And you sugar … you smell like my grandma's trailer."

"I just had a smoke," he replied nonchalantly.

"Mhmm," he murmured with sass. "You will not be allowed to smoke in these garments. Please go and wipe yourself clean with some body spray or somethin'. And don't use that god awful Axe crap. I will not have these designer duds smellin' cheap!"

Darien rolled his eyes and pulled his shirt over his head while a young woman came up and started to rub him down with a cloth that was scented with lavender and sandalwood. He glanced over his shoulder at Serena who was busy getting dressed in the first outfit presented to her. She looked uncomfortable in this setting, in getting stripped down practically against her will in front of other people. Darien on the other hand had felt all too comfortable with his body; he was, after all, used to this world a lot more than she was.

Once they were all dressed in their rather ridiculous clothes, they approached the set and started to pose for the camera. Serena was awkward at first, but after looking to Rei for guidance, she was able to get into the swing of things. Half way through the shoot, the photographer had a large fainting couch placed onto set and asked for only Serena and Darien to pose. She felt … _odd_. They were both dressed in unbuttoned tuxedo shirts with just their fancy underwear exposed. They had to lie on top of each other, look like they were about to kiss, bit one another's lips and ears as well as straddle the other's body like riding a horse. She actually started to study his chiseled body and the grooves that defined his muscles. He was attractive, yes, but his arrogance made him rather ugly.

Rei looked on at the exchanges between Darien and Serena as they continued with their sexy pictures. She bit her nail with curiosity and grinned devilishly; this was going to go splendidly. Serena would become enwrapped in Darien's personality and arms while she would take over the television show. She hadn't ever really been the main focal point in the series and when Serena scurried onto set like a scared little mouse, she knew she would never get a main role; "always a bridesmaid never a bride" was her life. So now that Darien was able and willing to take over this little blonde princess, Rei could finally step into the limelight for something positive instead of those hateful rumors that she was going to rehab or was anorexic etc, etc, etc. The only problem they had at the moment was his girlfriend, Lenora. Rei was going to fix that though; she would send the alcoholic girl to Europe to become a fashion model and hopefully get off of his radar. It was stupid of him in the first place to be toying around with a girl who had obviously been trying to get into the industry through someone else's pants.

"That's a wrap!" the photographer announced, cuing Rei that she could get undressed.

As they all stripped down and got back into their normal clothes, Darien led the way to the parking lot where he was able to light up another cigarette. Serena tossed him look of disgust while Rei pushed a pair of sunglasses over her face.

"So what now?" Serena asked. "Did I pass this test?"

"You passed … barely," Darien grinned.

"_Barely_?!" she exclaimed. "I think I did a very good job! I posed in underwear for Christ's sake!"

"Please," Rei scoffed, "only when you pose nude will I have any true respect for you."

"And it would have to be tasteful nude too. No Playboy," Darien informed her.

"Yeah, something Demi Moore-esque … Vanity Fair, black and white maybe … or in a field," Rei went on.

"Geez, sounds like you've thought of this a lot," chuckled Darien as he took another puff of his cigarette.

Ignoring his comment, Rei went on, "So tomorrow afternoon we're going to a fashion show for a charity. Would you care to join us?"

Not giving it a second thought, Serena answered, "Yes. That sounds like fun."

"Fun? You've never been to a fashion show, have you?" Darien said slyly as he stabbed the last of the white stick out into the brick wall.

"They're not as bad as he makes it out to sound," she comforted the blonde. "He just hates sitting by while women parade in front of him and he can't grab at them."

"I get my way backstage most of the time," he smirked.

"So I've heard," Serena replied, hoisting her purse higher up on her shoulder. Stepping closer to her car, she said to them, "Send me a text later tonight and I'll meet up with you guys tomorrow."

She got into her car and drove away from the two of them, her eyes bouncing up at their reflection in her rearview mirror. So far, what she had gotten herself into wasn't that bad. If anything, it would only put her in the best of light when the photos would be displayed on the entertainment news and blogs…she hoped.

* * *

Darien jumped out of his car and told the driver to wait for him while he went into the apartment building. This wasn't his place, it was Lenora's. He bounded up the four flights of stairs to her floor and was about to knock on the bright yellow door, but it was already open. He rapped his knuckles against the edge of the door and looked around her rather barren and chaotic apartment. The couch was wrapped up with plastic, there were boxes everywhere, shoes strewn across the hardwood floor, and in the kitchen all of her drawers were pulled open, empty.

He took one step inside and asked, "Hello?"

Lenora stuck her head out of the bathroom in the back of the apartment and smiled, "Hey baby!"

"Hey … um … what's going on?"

She ran up to him and kissed his cheek as she replied happily, "I told you! I'm moving to London!"

"When?"

"Tomorrow, silly. Geez, you don't listen to a word I say when we talk over dinner," she murmured as she turned around and headed for a bunch of clothes that were beside a half full box.

While she packed, he shoved his hands in his pockets and tilted his head, examining the premises, "So where does that leave us?"

"Where you have wanted it all along," she stated.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She continued to fold her clothes into the box, "You don't like me being around you—"

"Because you're usually drunk."

"You can't stand it when I walk in on you and Serena—"

"Again, alcohol is a big factor."

"And you want to send me off to some spa, thinking you can just throw me away like trash!" she exclaimed, slamming a pair of jeans noisily into the box as she leapt to her feet.

"Actually, the correct title for it is a rehabilitation center, but call what you will," he shrugged. He sighed a little bit before stepping toward her and placing his hands on her slender shoulders, "I just want you to be healthy. Can't you see that?"

"Healthy?" she repeated with a furrowed brow.

"Yes, _healthy_! I shouldn't have to spell it out for you of all people; you worked at a fucking health magazine.

"And I got fired because of _you_!" she shouted, slapping his clutches off of her.

"Go ahead and blame me! Blame me for _everything_! You _always_ do!" he yelled back.

"Oh fuck you!"

"Fuck you! God dammit! Why the hell did I decide to go out with you? You wanna know why? Because I thought that by having a decent relationship with someone, it would show Serena that I can actually be that kind of man!" he shouted.

"I guess you proved her wrong," Lenora replied snidely as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I guess I did," he murmured, shaking his head in disbelief at the situation that had unveiled so quickly. "I wish I could say it was nice knowing you Lenora, but it really wasn't. It was like taking care of a child most of the time … a child drunk on cheap vodka."

With that final word, he stormed out of the apartment with her shouting obscenities after him. He waved them away like a fly in the air and continued down the stairwell. This relationship had been a sham to begin with; it had to end sooner or later. When he made it out to the sidewalk however, he never expected everything to come crashing down on him – literally. A flying stiletto from her bedroom window was being chucked out right to his face with a giant smacking noise and a cut right down his cheek. He flipped her off, screamed that she was a crazy bitch, and then climbed into the black Lincoln car waiting for him while more shoes were raining on him. One of the Jimmy Choos ended up slamming onto the car, causing a crack in the window shield.

"She is _so_ paying for that," Darien growled as he examined his cut and developing bruise in the rearview mirror.

"Are you alright sir?" the driver asked, looking over his shoulder.

He leaned back against his seat and nodded, "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

* * *

The next day, Serena arrived at a restaurant where she was supposed to meet with Rei and Darien. The two were out on the patio, sipping their sparkling water with their sunglasses shadowing their faces. Across the street paparazzi were snapping photos of them with long range lenses. Serena kept her shades on and sat down in between the two of them. She tilted her sunglasses down her nose though as she examined the short and shallow cut on Darien's cheek. She reached across the table and grabbed his chin so she could get a better look in the sunlight.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"He got into a little domestic fight with his girlfriend," Rei answered flatly as she looked over the menu.

"_Ex_-girlfriend," he corrected.

"Did you hit her?" Serena asked.

"No," he answered defensively. "She threw a bunch of shoes out her window at me."

"Jimmy Choos, to be exact," Rei chimed in. "There was one left on his windshield."

"Wow … I never knew she was so violent!" Serena giggled as she opened up her menu.

"I did … sort of …" Darien trailed off.

"In the bedroom?" Rei finished.

"Shut up. Let's order," he grumbled.

When the waiter came around and took their requests, Serena said, "I'd like the burger, please."

"No," Rei stated. She looked at the cute, pearly white smile that was cut over the waiter's face, "We'll all have Waldorf salads please. Thank you."

Serena leaned back in her chair in defeat, "Why did you change my order?"

"Because there are people taking pictures," she answered. "Rule one of being under the scrutiny of the paparazzi; you need to choose your food wisely. Only eat fatty foods if you're at home."

"But I'm a normal girl," she argued, "shouldn't I be portrayed as such?"

"You're not normal," Darien exhaled. "You're upper class. Get over it."

"I'm—"

"You live in a mansion, you went to a private school, you've been raised with privilege, please stop trying to act like you're middle class like most of your fans," he interrupted. There was a tense silence for a moment and then he broke it, "I'm sorry Serena, but you weren't raised in a home where you didn't know where your next meal was coming from, you're parents weren't living paycheck to paycheck."

"And were you?" she asked him.

"When I was younger, yes. Then I got my first break here. I was lucky enough to be able to support my family. I still do to this day," he answered her.

That shut them all up as their food was served and they ate in silence. They still hadn't spoken when they received the check – which Darien picked up – and Rei led the way down the street and around the corner to a warehouse where there was a white tent protruding from the entrance. Serena followed the two of them into the warehouse and sat down at the front row of the audience. The place was already filled up and she noticed a lot of familiar faces from the film industry. The show was a mix of designers for a charity event to support children in Africa who needed fresh water and new wells built. The dresses that came down the runway were beautiful, flamboyant, and rather out there. It wasn't Serena's style, but like she had said before, she didn't have a style necessarily. When the event was done, Serena was ready to leave, but as it turned out, that's not what happens at a fashion show. She followed Darien and Rei to the backstage area where people were bidding on the designs in order to be the first ones to wear it out on the red carpet.

Rei scurried up to a bright red and fuchsia feathery dress and immediately spoke to the representative that was standing next to the model. She started to bid for the dress against some anti-aging woman who looked like she had spent too much time in the sun. Rei eventually won out, but Serena didn't see it happen; instead she was examining a long, fluffy blue dress that had white rhinestones encrusted on the top of the bodice and then drifted from a white color down to a deep, navy blue.

Darien walked up behind her as she examined the model in awe and said, "What do you think?"

"I think it's beautiful," she whispered.

"Are you going to get it?"

"Oh no, no, no, no!" she exclaimed. "This is way too expensive!"

"But it's for a good cause," the model said, her voice soft and flighty.

"I can't afford this!"

"Says the girl from a dynasty," Rei mumbled as she strolled up to them with a receipt in hand.

"Oooh, what dynasty?" the model asked with an airy tone.

"Don't speak," Rei instructed her curtly. "Models are human manikins."

The slender, obscenely tall girl licked her lips shut and looked over at Serena who merely passed her an apologetic expression from her blue orbs. Darien walked away from the trio of women and started to whisper in the representative's ear. Rei rolled her eyes at Darien and then pulled Serena away to look at the dress she had purchased. The two admired it until Darien returned and they were able to leave the premises. When they got outside in the sunlight, they were bombarded still by photographers and reporters. Serena got a bit nervous and looked to Darien and Rei for help. They merely kept their heads down and mouths shut as they pushed through to the sidewalk. They all parted ways and made it safely to their own vehicles. Rei and Darien got into her silver Mercedes and started to drive off.

"So … what did you get for her?" Rei asked inquisitively.

"I got her that Givenchy dress she was looking at," he answered.

"What?! No way!" she cackled.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Darien replied.

"You're making this too easy for her," she complained. "She needs a tougher situation in this bet. I don't think Serena understands the repercussions of it all."

"What do you suggest?" he asked.

"I'll think of something…"

* * *

Later that night Serena was sitting on her mother's bed, staring at the fluffy and rough edged gown that had been bought for her. The card merely read, "From a prince to a princess." She didn't understand it completely, but her mother did. Karen always saw straight through the gifts, the flowers, the chocolates to what the man really wanted and Darien was no different.

"Be careful with this boy," Karen warned. "They're all alike in the end."

Her daughter nodded and kissed her goodnight as she collected the gift and headed off to her room. She would heed her mother's warning with diligence; she wasn't so easily blinded like most girls.

* * *

**Please review! ^_^**


	8. Chapter 8: Life Changing Momments

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters

* * *

**Chapter 8: Life Changing Mom-ments**

It was about a month into the bet and so far, it had attracted more paparazzi to sit around Serena where ever she went. She couldn't even go to the grocery store without them snapping at her every move. Rumors about her and Darien had been swirling even before this explosion of photographers, but now they were out of control. There were thoughts that she was pregnant with his baby, that he bought her a new car, that everything she wears is for him. It was exhausting being critiqued physically and fashionably on a daily basis, but Serena had found a way to ignore it; finding refuge in her mother. She would often come back from a night out and go into her mother's room to curl up next to her and fall asleep. She and Karen had grown so much closer through all of this and she wondered if it also had something to do with her father being absent as of late. Karen thought that her daughter hadn't noticed the subtle separation between her and James, but children were more aware than parents would give them credit for.

Serena and her mother were driving to the office that day in order to meet with Haruka to see what was going to happen with the television show in the future. Serena was still on the fence about continuing on with the show, but she would find out what it would bring her today. When the two made it to the parking garage of the building, they got out, locked the car and made their way to the correct floor. As they breezed into the busy office, Karen stopped at the front desk outside the office she shared with James.

"Has my husband been in today?" she asked the brunette at the desk.

"No ma'am. He called this morning and said he had a meeting at the Hilton."

"Great," she grumbled. "Send him a reminder text message that his daughter has a meeting today. He should have been aware that she comes first, other clients come second."

"Yes ma'am," she nodded, taking out her Blackberry and typing into it to send a text to James.

As Karen strutted into the office with her daughter following her, she said, "He has some nerve not being here."

Serena sat down on a tweed couch and ignored her mother's comment as she flipped through a tabloid magazine. There she was again, leaving a club with Rei and Darien on either side of her, trying to keep her awake. All of this gallivanting around town was taking a toll on her body and sleep schedule. She needed to take a vacation soon in order to reevaluate her sleeping pattern.

There was a knock at the door and in walked Haruka and Michiru, both sporting some gold jewelry and leather here and there. Haruka was in a floppy leather vest, a white t-shirt and jeans where as her partner in crime and life decided to don on a sexier number with a leather high waist skirt and flowing blue and purple printed blouse. Serena admired their attire until her mother cleared her throat to gain their attention.

"Thank you for coming. Please have a seat," she instructed politely as she stood up with a file in her hand and joined them all at the couches that formed a square. Haruka sat next to Karen and Michiru sat next to Serena as the redhead continued on, "I want to start off by saying that it's been such a pleasure to work with you two. You have been so courteous and so considerate to Serena's needs without compromising your own vision of the show. It's been amazing."

"I'm glad to hear that!" Michiru beamed.

"Same," Haruka nodded. "We were really glad to have Serena on the show. She's been bringing a lot of press to it and has been a positive force on the set."

"So I've heard," Karen murmured. "The press is what worries me. I don't want her to spiral out of photo control and suddenly get a picture online that's going to smear her name."

"Heaven forbid, I get my photo taken!" Serena exclaimed sarcastically.

"Serena, your mother just doesn't want you to turn into all of those other starlets out there," Michiru soothed calmly.

"There's a reason we wanted you and no one else," Haruka commented. "I didn't want to risk the chance of receiving bad press, of people reading into certain details, and I also like having someone on set who wouldn't cause more drama than necessary. You kept Darien roped in, kept Lorena off set when needed, and you were pleasant to my crew."

Karen pursed her lips for a moment and said, "Well, as wonderful as those compliments are, I don't know that continuing on with the show would be in her best image interest. Darien has a reputation of bouncing around from one bed to the next and I don't want my daughter near that any longer."

"What about the rumors going around in the industry that you and your husband have signed him onto your next project?" Haruka asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Well, those are just rumors," Karen replied before taking a sip from a glass of water that was in front of her.

"No they're not," a deep voice declared.

She nearly spit up the water when she heard her husband's voice. He was standing at the door with a briefcase in hand and a suit on giving him more sex appeal that one would normally credit him with. He closed the door behind him and walked over to the couches, sitting on the other side of his daughter.

"I'm sorry, what was that dear?" Karen asked sweetly. Her tone had a distinct edge of venom in it that only her husband could detect.

"I signed him onto the film this morning," he announced to everyone.

Karen swallowed hard and then asked them, "Can you all please give us some privacy for just ten minutes?"

"No, no! Let's just end this now!" James protested. He turned to his daughter, "Serena, do you want to continue doing the show?"

"Um … uh … well, yes, but I think my character would boost ratings by showing up unannounced."

"Much like your father," Karen quipped snidely.

"Okay! Well!" Haruka clapped, her demeanor obviously uncomfortable. "We'll work out a rough packet of scripts and send them off to you in the mail!"

"Uh great!" Serena stammered as she stood up with them and promptly exited, waving goodbye to her parents.

Once they were alone, James loosened his tie and glanced at his wife, "So?" She responded by throwing her arms up in the air and stalking over to the mini bar. He rolled his eyes and continued, "Can we hash it out?"

"Oh yes! Let's _hash_ it out!" she mocked. "How about you went behind my back and signed a celebrity to our movie without even consulting me first! Is this how the business is supposed to be run? Huh? Secret meetings? Sketchy contacts? Cutting the partner out of the decisions? _Big_ decisions I might add! I was raised in this star-struck world and that is _not_ how it works!"

"Calm down Karen," he begged as he watched her down half of a glass of dry whiskey.

"Ooooh, you want me to calm down? I'll calm down!" she yelled, slamming her glass onto the glossy bar. "I quit."

She let the silence fall over her husband as she stormed up to grab her bag and was about to leave when James jumped up suddenly. He snatched up her arm and pressed the door shut before she could open it all the way. This caught the attention of the front desk secretary who buzzed in and asked if everything was alright. James kept a strong hold on Karen's arm as he took a few strides across the room to the main desk and clicked onto the intercom, reassuring their receptionist that they were fine. He spun back around, gripped on her shoulders, and shook her slightly.

"Karen, you can't quit!" he exclaimed. "Please!"

She burst out laughing at him and wriggled out of his grip, "Are you serious? Because back there and throughout this whole thing, it seems like you don't even need me to be around. Why don't you handle this one on your own?"

"Because it's your idea!" he shouted.

"That's the first time I've heard that from you!" she replied with wide eyes. "But you know what? _You_ can control this just fine! You've _been_ controlling it, have you not? Good luck James."

She swatted his hands away from her body and strutted out of the office immediately. She made it to the elevator just in enough time to watch her husband slouch right in front of the closing doors. She waved her leather gloved finger tips at him and flashed a wide smile as the doors shut. When Karen made it out into the garage, she pushed a pair of thick designer sunglasses onto her face and pulled out her cell phone. She pressed it to her ear as she slipped into her car and spoke in privacy.

"Hey. Can you meet with me at Coffee Bean downtown? We need to chat. It's about the film … I won't be on board. Okay see you in ten."

* * *

Serena laid on her bed while Darien went flipping through the digital pages of paparazzi images on her laptop. At this point, they had done just about everything possible on the itinerary and she had kept up to her end of the bargain. It was getting close to the end of the bet.

"So what's next?" she asked. "I feel like I've done everything you've asked for."

"We have one more big project…"

"Oh?"

"I'm going to be in your parents' movie," he announced to her. "When we're done filming, I want to go to the premiere with you."

"You're joking…"

"No I'm not."

She flipped over onto her stomach and stared at him for a moment before shaking her head in disbelief. It wasn't that she was surprised that he wanted to go to a premiere with her, it was that her parents had actually allowed him to be in the film. She would need to speak to her mother first before she would agree to anything. Going to a premiere with someone was a big deal; it was a few steps below an awards ceremony. There were already hundreds of photos of the two of them shopping, hanging out at restaurants, and promoting clubs together. People had speculated that they were a couple and Serena had grown exhausted sending out official responses to reporters, telling them that she was only friends with Darien.

"We'll see what happens when around that time and if I want to come along."

"You have two months. Your parents are hoping to get this done as soon as possible."

* * *

"So why me?" Cooper asked as he sat down across from Karen in the back of the coffee house.

"It's your client, that's why," Karen grimaced as she sipped her black drink.

"You've quit though?" he inquired. "Why? Why not just take a two month vacation? That way you don't have to deal with you husband at all."

"I want to put him in his place," she shrugged.

"So you're sabotaging your film?"

"_His_ film," she corrected.

"Red, you and I both know that this is your movie, your idea, and your genius," he reassured her, placing a hand over hers. "You can't back down on this. It's going to be a great film."

"I'm giving you a chance to pull your client out of this project," she declared, removing her hand from his grasp. "I will not back down from this. I don't believe that Darien will make this film any better than it already is."

"And I don't think your marriage will last through this ordeal. You're going to destroy your husband."

"Then so be it."

Cooper stood up and buttoned his jacket up as he said, "Alright, well I'll call Darien and let him know. It'll be his decision ultimately whether or not he wants to continue on with the film. Thank you for contacting me." He turned away from her but then paused suddenly, looking back over his shoulder, "Wait a minute … is this so that I won't be around you and … erm … your daughter?"

"No. This it has nothing to do with that."

"Sure it doesn't," he grinned. "I'll speak to Darien about your departure from the project, but I will let him make the choice. I like being around you Red."

"I wish the feeling was mutual."

* * *

Darien clicked off his phone and pressed his lips against the cold metal edge. Serena tilted her head to the side and examined his features as he sat down on her desk chair. He glanced up at her through his long black bangs and tried not to show his disappointment, but by now she could see through his smoke screens.

"What was that about?"

"Cooper called me."

"And?"

"And your mother is off the project."

"What?!" she exclaimed, leaping up into a sitting position.

"Yeah, apparently she has handed over the reigns to your dad…"

"She can't do this!"

Darien furrowed his brow a bit as he asked, "What do you mean? It's her decision."

"Yes, but my father is … incompetent," she explained slowly. "My mother is the brains behind everything. She was raised in this Hollywood life like I was and knows the business inside and out, thus she knows what films will receive an award."

"So she's the brains behind every operation?"

"Every single one."

"Beauty Kings?"

"Yup."

"Sunny Side Down?"

"Mom."

"Even the documentary Naked?"

"That was all my mother. She went to the brothels and interviewed the concubines herself."

"What the hell does your dad have to do with any of these films then?!" Darien exclaimed.

"Their empire is built around his name and backed by her intelligence. However, I'm sure that my mother can rebuild herself if she chose to."

"And I will."

The two of them turned around to find Karen leaning her curvaceous body against the door frame as she removed her half leather gloves from her fingers. She sighed loudly as she thought about how to bring this topic about. Looking up at her rather distraught daughter, she tried to force a smile on her face.

"Honey, it's no secret that your father and I are on the outs," she started.

"But Mom, does this mean you're going to … leave him?" Serena asked.

"I don't know. But I think it's time I find my full potential on my own." Karen adjusted her gaze over to Darien and stated with her arms crossed over her chest, "And you young man … if you want to be in a film that will receive a golden statuette of man with a sword in hand, I suggest you work with me. I'm going to take all of my work and all of my copy write material away from my husband. He won't have an idea to fall on."

"Are you asking me to choose between you two?" he inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"That's exactly what I'm asking. I expect your answer by tomorrow morning, no later than nine a.m.," she declared. Standing up straight, she said to her daughter, "I'm going to pack my things and I'll be staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel."

"Mom—"

"If you need me, you can reach me on my cell."

With that said, she turned around and away form her daughter to go and get her things together. She couldn't stand another moment in the mansion where her husband was in every piece of furniture, their sham of a marriage was in splattered everywhere in photos, and her daughter was a constant reminder of her lies. She needed to correct her life and now was as good of a time as any…

* * *

**Please review!! ^_^**


	9. Chapter 9: Red's Romp

May the disease I call writer's block be rid of me! I hope to get chapters out fast now that I have my stride back. Sorry for the long wait everyone! ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters

* * *

**Chapter 9: Red's Romp**

Darien sat out on the patio with a scarf wrapped around his neck, reminding him of a noose. He half believed he was jumping to his death and yet at the same time he thought that maybe, just maybe this was the right thing to do. He took another drag of his cigarette, tempted to flip off the photographer circling around across the sidewalk, but he decided against it; it would only cause more arousal. Karen sashayed out onto the grounds and he was about to stab his recently started cigarette into the ashtray, but she lifted a gloved hand, gesturing him not to.

"I'll have one if you have an extra," she grinned as he stood up and kissed either cheek.

When he sat back down, he handed her a white stick and watched as she slipped it in between her thick red lips. Darien was extremely intrigued by her and the child she had created, but for now it was all business.

"So you've decided to take me up on my offer?" Karen asked.

"You're starting from the ground up, aren't you?" he replied.

"Yes. Does that scare you?"

"I'll be honest … a little bit." Darien took a moment to tap the ash off of his cigarette and then continued even when the waiter came up to him, "But you're a smart woman. I'd gladly follow you into the pits of hell."

"I'll have a bloody Mary and egg white omelet with spinach please," she said to the waiter without looking at the menu.

"Ditto," Darien said. He looked back at Karen and asked her, "What is this project really?"

"What do you mean?"

"All that your husband could tell me was that it was based in Brazil … that has to be a cop out."

"Oooh, you're a smart cookie. Why didn't I snatch you up sooner?" she smiled, tapping her white stick and then taking a long drag. "The real film is all about the Congo and a man trying to single handedly end rape. It has racism, sexism, you know all of the 'isms that make a good film. And it's based in a foreign country, even off of this continent; that'll get people going."

"Can you get support? Financially, I mean."

"Yes," she answered simply. "Can you stomach what you're about to see though?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're going to have to visit the country before you sign with me. You'll need to see what these women go through. It's not just about a war torn country; it's about war torn bodies. I'll give you some material to read and some dates as to when we can fly out there together."

"Well if I'm going to have to stomach that, then you'll have to stomach Cooper. He needs to come along."

"Of course. How could I expect anything less?"

"Will Serena join us on this trip to Africa?"

"If she chooses to. She does love seeing the children."

"Children?"

"You really have no idea what goes on out there, do you?" she asked with a curious smile curving her pouty red lips.

"I'll find out."

"When you do, then you can join me and my daughter on a plane," she nodded as their drinks were delivered to them.

"So are you going to meet with Cooper for this?"

"I've already talked to him on the phone, but I have a dinner date with him later tonight."

"Are you separating from your husband?"

"Only when it comes to the job market. If it will be anything more personal, I'll let my daughter know first, not you."

The two smiled knowingly at one another and sipped quietly on their drinks. Darien sat there during their breakfast and imagined what their trip to the Congo would be like. He was a little bit scared, but at the same time this would give him purpose finally and maybe he could even attract Serena to his side if she saw him being cute with a bunch of little orphans. Nothing bad could really come of this situation; it was all a win-win. But then again, Darien wasn't one to just let an important meeting like this go by without any insider information. He would phone Rei later that afternoon and tell her to go to that very restaurant … snoop a little bit.

* * *

Cooper sat at the table, sipping his martini and looking around for the fiery red head that was supposed to strut into the restaurant. He wondered if this whole dinner was going to lead else where. By the looks of how fast he was drinking his alcoholic beverages, he assumed he was going to be hitting on her … hard. When he looked back around to the front of the restaurant, he found Karen strutting in with a dark brown silk dress on and bejeweled leather heels with a matching gold and yellow diamond necklace. He smiled broadly at her and stood up, pulling her chair out in order to get her to sit down. She smoothed out a napkin across her lap and sighed loudly as the waiter walked by.

"I'd like a glass of your best chardonnay and keep his glass refreshed at all times," she asked the waiter and then looked back at Cooper. "Hello."

"Hi," he grinned. "To what do I owe the wonderful dinner outing with you?"

"Darien has agreed to doing the film, but I need to know that you are on board completely," she started. "So if this is the case, then both of you need to read all of the material that I have been caught up on. Darien is going to have to go to Congo not just for research, but for some filming. Do you think he can handle it?"

"Of course! He's a resilient kid. He can handle it."

"Another question that I have is can he handle my daughter?"

"That's all he wants to do is handle her," he chuckled as the waiter came by and replaced his drink as well as placing down a fresh glass of white wine for Karen.

"Can _you_ handle her?"

"Why wouldn't I be able to? Are you going to be able to handle me next to her I think is the real, truthful, honest question," he said as he sipped on his martini.

"You know why I'm skeptical on this whole arrangement. If you two both come along with me and my daughter, then you'll have to be careful. Serena is a sharp girl," she informed him.

Cooper sighed as the waiter came back to take their orders, "Red, you wanna order for me?"

"We'll start with the chilled oysters. He'll have the pork chop with the mango chutney on top of chive and rosemary mashed potatoes. I will have the fillet mignon with sautéed spinach, caramelized onions, and potatoes au gratin. Thank you," she smiled. Turning back to Cooper she tilted her head, resting her cheek against a closed fist as she carried on, "Anyways, I want us all to be careful."

"Ginger, you're thinking too much into this," he argued gently. "I think you need to see this from a positive perspective; I'll finally get to see my DNA in full swing."

"You don't see that on a daily basis?" she smirked.

"Usually any vision of myself is a bit blurred by my ego."

"At lease you're honest."

"But seriously, I won't push myself into your life like that if you don't want me to. I know how difficult this is for you."

"Coop … I'm thinking of getting a divorce from James," she announced.

There was a long pause between the two of them as the waiter came up and served their half a dozen oysters. When the silver haired fox across from her didn't respond to her immediately, she started to break into the oysters with an air of frustration. She was pissed that his reaction to her was leaving his mouth open like a fly trap.

"Please, don't tell me you didn't see this coming," she said.

"I did, but only in my wildest dreams," he laughed.

"You're drunk."

"I'm happy!"

"Well I'm miserable. I can't stand to be known as Mrs. Roddenberg any longer."

"So what do you want to be known as? The next choice of husband would leave you as Mrs. Feinstein. The Jews will be clamoring for your money."

"You're terrible! And they already were before, you know that. Everyone, no matter what their nationality, race or religious beliefs have been scratching at my door," she complained as she took a huge gulp of her wine.

"And now are you going to open your door and legs to them?"

"I'll open my door, but my legs will be shut," she winked.

"We'll see about that."

"I doubt you're still as good as you think you are."

"We haven't been together for years! Who knows maybe, I've improved."

"I don't think you can teach an extremely old dog, new tricks. Can we get back onto the topic of discussion, please?" she prompted.

"Mother?"

Karen turned around and found her daughter strolling into the restaurant with Rei beside her and Darien conveniently missing. Serena brushed a long strand of blonde hair off of her shoulder and placed a hand on her jutting out hip as she examined the image in front of her.

"What's going on here?" she asked.

"I'm having dinner with Cooper," Karen answered simply.

"And?"

"And that's it. You are my _daughter_, not my mother," she snapped.

"Right. Well, have a good dinner," Serena replied quietly as a bright blush came over her face. She let Rei drag her away from the scene which let Karen exhale and diffuse all of her tension.

"You okay?" Cooper asked when they were out of earshot.

"I'm fine. I just feel like I'm hiding a huge elephant from my daughter," she sighed.

Their food was finally served to them and their drinks were refreshed. The two ate in silence for a little bit and then started up a random conversation about politics, gossip, and work in general. Karen hadn't laughed or had such a witty conversation since … well since she was last with Cooper – minus the fights they've had in the past recently.

"So if you need a lawyer for your divorvce—"

"I'm not—"

"Please, don't argue with me Red. You're clearly not in a good place."

"Well anyone can see that."

"So are you going to divorce him?"

"I want to, but the fight will take years. He'll never let me go."

"I have a great lawyer who has gotten me through multiple divorces, as you well know."

"I'd rather get through this project before I take any huge steps in my marriage."

"No, no, no! You need to nip it in the bud now! He'll try to reign in any revenue that you make from this film if you divorce him afterwards. He will use this to his advantage," Cooper informed her. "Trust me, I know. I didn't want to divorce Tricia until after I was done overseeing a film that Darien was in and afterwards, she tore into the millions I made from it stating that I was supported by her during the whole process. It was complete bullshit! The woman was living elsewhere with her pool boy lover!"

"And you were gallivanting around with another young secretary, I'm sure," Karen grinned before shoving a piece of food into her mouth.

"You know me too well."

"I've known you too _long_."

"Wanna let me in on something? What changed your mind about letting Serena gallivant around with Darien?" he asked.

"She's a big girl; she can make up her own mind. I can tell her no all of her life, but she'll still be living it on her own. I've realized that she can turn a bad paparazzi boy into a brilliant stepping stone to positive images. She has yet to turn into a pariah of Hollywood like so many other young women I've seen," she explained.

"Wow. Quite a change, Red."

"People can do that you know. It's a great trait of the human species."

"I dunno about that…"

"So if I go through with this divorce, will you help me?"

"Yes. Of course."

"Will you be there for me if I'm upset?"

"Um …"

"Oh wait, I forgot; you're afraid of commitment."

"Karen … don't."

"Seriously, Coop. If I don't have word from you that you're with me on this, then I won't do it."

"Ginger—"

"Don't give me that!" she roared. She looked over at the waiter and called out, "Check please!"

"Karen!"

"Cooper, you'll be picking up the check I suppose. Thank you for a lovely dinner," she smiled as she started to pack up her things.

Cooper reached out across the table and clutched onto her wrist causing her to turn and look at him, "I … I'll be there."

"You will?"

"Yes."

"You promise?"

"Yes."

She narrowed her eyes toward him and studied his facial features wondering if maybe he was lying, but she couldn't find a trace of it. Either he was getting really good at covering his tracks or he was being completely honest. She knew that he was right about her needing to divorce James immediately, but she couldn't do it alone.

"I will be there for you through every single minute of the divorce. You can count on me," he declared seriously as he handed his silver card to the waiter.

"Forgive me if I hold little value on your word," she replied snidely, but she kept her arm under his grasp still. "Fine. Give me the number of your divorce lawyer and I would appreciate it if you came along with me."

"You know she might think that we're together," he said.

"I'll make sure she knows that I think of you as just a repulsive little white flea," she smiled.

"I'm the itch you wish to scratch," he sighed, leaning back in his chair and removing his hand from her wrist.

Karen finally got up as he signed off on the check and then stood up along with her. The two of them walked out of the restaurant and made it to her black Mercedes where he stood uncomfortably close to her. She leaned back against the cold door and arched her neck in order to examine his face yet again before she left.

"Are you trying to invade my space or is this just a way to get up my skirt?" she asked.

"I've been there, done that; you know what I would look like if I wanted to explore your nether region, Red," Cooper answered lazily. "I want you to know that you can call me any time, day or night, and I'll be there for you. You're the one that got away."

"And you're the one that _ran_ away," she smirked before waving her fingers goodbye to him and slipping into the car.

As she drove off from the ritzy establishment, she wondered if Cooper was really going to stand by her like he said. Their past had been … tumultuous at best. She had fallen in love with him – head over heels was an understatement.

* * *

Years back…

Karen was sitting in the large suite, her legs shaking and her eyes darting from her chewed up nails to the front door. She and Cooper had had a romantic get away together, skipping around New York City like a bunch of teenagers, although one of them really _was_ a teenager; Karen. Her parents simply rolled their eyes at the antics while resting on their Hamptons porch with their Ralph Lauren sweaters hanging over their shoulders. She was an heiress of the best sort; beautiful, smart, and a career ahead of her that was flourishing without her knowledge. The summertime was her freedom moment for her before she had to go in and work at a highly reputable publishing company that her uncle ran. Writing was her passion, but letting her imagination dance wildly free throughout New York City was her fuel.

However, all of that was in jeopardy thanks to a blacked out night with Cooper, lots of midnight tears from her Madonna-like make-up, and a little white plastic stick that explained everything. She had been a late. She wished someone would slam a hammer against a giant gong to jolt her awake from this nightmare. She couldn't possibly have a baby right now; not when everything was going so smoothly. Karen was waiting for her married boyfriend to meet with her that afternoon in their rented love-nest at the Waldorf Astoria.

"Honey I'm home!" he greeted happily, walking into the room.

"Shouldn't you say that to your _actual_ wife?" she asked quietly as she stared out at through the large windows at the scenery of the city.

Karen was playing with her mesh gloves and then quickly changed to fumbling with her heavy strands of necklaces. Cooper, who had hardly grayed at this point, noticed the nervous tick and then looked down at the marble coffee table which had a pregnancy test sitting on it. His face went a shade paler as he took a few more steps inside.

"Is that a proposal on the table?" he asked, pointing to it. "I won't be blackmailed out of my marriage, as much as I would appreciate it, trust me."

"Why doesn't Georgina care about you having an affair with me? Surely she knows by now."

"Of course she does, Ginger, but the woman is all about her charities and spending money; not about love. We were never about love. You and me though …"

"Cut the bullshit, Cooper!" she shrieked, turning around and finally facing him. She had removed all of her make up so that her tears were now crystal clear. Karen sniffed as her face turned blotchy red and pink, "You're going to walk away from the scandal just like you have every other one."

"Scandal? This is a blessing," he smiled. "Don't you think?"

"No. Not unless you're with me."

"Red, your parents will never let me near you once they find out," he replied, shaking his head and shoving his hands into his pants pockets.

"So that's it? I have to go through this alone when you were clearly involved in it?" she exclaimed. "That is not fair!"

"Life isn't—"

"Fuck you."

"Karen, I'm sorry, but what do you want me to say? You want me to lie to you and tell you that I'll divorce Georgina and marry you?"

"No, I want that to be the truth. I'm carrying _your_ child!"

"And you'll get plenty of support from me."

"From afar," she completed as she wiped a few tears away with the back of her hand.

"That's the way it has to be," he shrugged.

"You'll regret it. I'll be taken away from you and years down the road, you'll regret it," she hissed.

"I'm already regretting my decision, believe me. But you're a young girl; you have your whole life ahead of you!"

"Not anymore. I have a baby to worry about; my life is on hold."

"You'll see, Karen. Everything will work out. Don't view this as the end of the world 'cause it's not. You're still a teenager for crying out loud!"

"But I'm officially an adult."

"Not under your mommy and daddy Hanover. You're apart of a wealthy estate; they'll take care of you."

"They'll ship me off to France and hide from the world until I find a husband," she grimaced.

"No they won't."

"_Yes_ they will," Karen argued. "They've already told me. I went to them last night about the situation. My mother said I will live in a château along the Riviera until they can find me a suitable match. I'm under their thumb for the rest of my life. Don't tell me that my life still has a long way to go; I'm under Hanover arrest as far as they're concerned."

"Jesus … are you serious?"

"Unless you're willing to admit to this! Then they'll let me stay here and—"

"And it'll cause an uproar among all of the elite, I'll _have_ to get a divorce, and your father will ultimately force me to at least be seen with you like a supportive spouse of sorts," he finished. "I know how this goes. I've seen Aaron Lestwick go through it with his young assistant."

"So that's it? You're going to send me off to France like this?"

"What do you want me to say, Red?"

"I want you to say that you love me and that you'll be here for me!"

He backed away and started to walk toward the door, but not before she could yell at him, "Wait! If you walk out that door, you know that it'll be the end of this."

"I hope you find a wonderful husband, Karen."

He strolled out the door and out of her broken heart for the time being. After that encounter, she was shipped off to France, just like she had said, and was hidden from the world under her parents' control. That's where she met a flighty young man named James Roddenberg. He was smart, a rising actor among the Hollywood crowd, and he was filming a movie just down the way from her house…

* * *

The rain poured heavily as Karen sat on the floor with her daughter, playing with the Candyland game that her father had given her on his last trip out to visit. Her mother was battling cancer at the time and couldn't make it out with him, but she called frequently and sent letters filled with pictures and newspaper cut outs. The woman was dying, but she still made an effort to don on a wig and slip into a sequined gown for galas and events; she wasn't about to be shown up by Georgina Crane. Ever since the silent scandal had happened, the Hanovers and Cranes had battled it out via charities and which ones could be placed in the gossip columns the most during the month for their wonderful clothing and pounds of cash dropped at certain balls. Karen was glad she was in France for most of this sly and cunning mêlée between them all; she didn't want to be in the crossfire.

So here she was, playing with her beautiful blonde child, Serena. After giving birth in the French hospital, she had realized that she didn't need Cooper beside her so long as she had her glowing little girl. She had told her daughter time and time again that "Daddy" was on trips around the world and couldn't see her for a while. Part of it was true at least. It didn't seem to faze the little tyke in the slightest.

There was a sudden knock at the door disrupting Karen's laughter. She told her daughter to roll for her as she strolled up the source of the pounding noise. Opening it up, she discovered a strapping young man with dripping blonde hair, a five o'clock shadow and a torn up trench coat that was bloody on his left arm. She stepped back and bid him hastily to come inside.

"Are you alright?" she asked breathlessly as the stranger sat down at the kitchen table.

"I'm fine," he answered through gritted teeth.

"Mommy?"

Karen turned around from searching for a rag and bowl in the cupboards to find her daughter walking into the room, dragging her tattered stuffed animal she called Bun-Bun. She smiled and lifted her up into her arms telling her that she needed to stay in her room for a bit while she took care of the hurt man. Serena understood and told her mother to give the boo-boo a kiss. The red head grinned at her little girl before shutting her up in her room that looked like Santa and sent a toy bomb into it. She returned to the kitchen after stopping into the bathroom with a roll of bandages, some antiseptic, and thick white rag.

"So what's your name?" the man asked as he removed his coat and rolled up his sleeves.

She took hold of his gashed up arm and said, "I'm Karen."

"You're not French, obviously."

"Neither are you."

"Touché," he smirked. "Where are you from?"

"New York City."

"Why are you out here?"

"Fresh air?"

"Was that a statement or a question?"

"Sorry, I still haven't really figured out myself why I'm here," she answered. "Now my turn; who are you?"

"James. James Roddenberg."

"Oh! You're filming right down the road aren't you? Your director and a bunch of assistants came to my house about a month ago asking about the area," she smiled.

"Yes, I am filming. Should be a great movie."

"What's it about?"

"A love story with a twist."

"Like most films," she laughed.

"What? You think it's been done too much?"

"I like movies that keep me guessing. Usually the twist is too predictable," she answered as she wiped his wound with the stinging solvent.

"Ouch!" he whispered. "Well … yes, I suppose so."

"So what's the twist?" she asked.

"They don't know it yet, but they're already engaged to be wed," he said seriously, making Karen stop what she was doing. She studied his expression for a moment and leaned back in her chair. She crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips shut. "I know who you are and I know that your mother has exiled you out here."

"Are you going to be my knight in shining armor?" she snapped.

"Would you be satisfied with a knight in flannel?" he replied, gesturing to his attire.

"So they sent you out here deliberately? Is this wound self inflicted?"

"No, I actually fell down, trying to run away from some photographers. Your folks knew I was filming and asked if I could find a way to meet you, but you hardly ever come out of your little shack unless you're seeing your daughter off to nursery school or if you're going into town for groceries," he said.

"You've been studying me."

"Your parents have."

"I don't understand—"

"Before coming out here, I met with your mother. She's not well."

"But she won't let me come back to see her personally because I don't have a husband to show for all my time spent here."

"She just wants you to be protected."

"She wants me to show up … oh never mind," she breathed.

"I want you to come back to reality finally. Come out of this French fairytale. Serena needs to live a real life."

"You don't even know me!"

"I know everything about you. You are the remaining line to the Hanover legacy and your daughter is considered a bastard child unless she has a father to step up next to you. Do you know who the father is?"

"I … no … no I don't," she lied. She wasn't about to expose Cooper like that. Even after four years of banishment, she wasn't going to hang him out to dry like he had done to her.

"Your mother has proposed that—"

"You propose to me?" she interrupted snidely. "I'd rather not be an arranged bride, thank you very much."

"She's dying."

"It's her own fault. She smoked too much." She chewed on her nail while watching him wrap his arm up with the white bandage. "How much did they pay you?"

"They didn't."

"No, of course not. Not until you get me to say yes to the façade."

"Think of your little girl."

"I have!" she roared. "We've been fine without a man for this long. Why would I need one now?"

"To get back into that society."

"The one that punished me in the first place? I may be young, but I'm not stupid," she scoffed.

"Says the girl who got knocked up and rescued by her parents," James said as he finished wrapping the bandage. "Just think about it. After the filming is done, I'd be willing to marry you, call Serena my child, even adopt her so that everything is legal, and we can all move back to New York. Your family misses you."

"I don't even know you! You don't even know _me_?"

"That's what marriages used to be like back in the 1600s."

"And women had no rights … you really want to use that time period as a reference?" she questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"You're right," he laughed as he stood up. He looked out the window that was just above the kitchen sink and stated, "The sun is coming out finally."

The two were silent as they watch the rays of light break through the clouds. Karen glanced over at him and got to her feet. She cleared her throat a bit before speaking, "Take me out every night for a date up until you leave. If you peak my interest until then, I'll go back with you to New York to get married."

"Great."

"I'm doing this for my mother, by the way … and for my daughter."

"I completely understand."

"I'm not an easy flower to be picked, James. I have thorns and I won't go into this arrangement without a fight," she informed him.

"I can already tell," he responded with a curt nod.

The months went on with the two of them dating. She wasn't head over heels or even in love with the guy, but the thought of her sickly, dying mother who refused to see her without a husband at her side kept popping up in her head. If this is what it took to survive and lead a life with her daughter without any repercussions, then she would do it. She was a lioness protecting her baby cub.

* * *

As for the lion himself…

James was in a private room at a bar with a whiskey sitting front of him. Darien sauntered up to him and sat down at the table without even being offered the chair. The blonde man tossed out his sleek phone across the glossy table and glared at the young star that had his daughter wrapped around his finger.

"Is this true?" he asked. "Are these photos for real?"

"Yes," he said glancing down at the image of Cooper and Karen sitting at dinner together with his hand over hers. "I sent someone out to take it. I know that they're working together on the film because I signed with her, but I think there's something more there."

"Of course there is. I've looked into it myself. The two had a torrid affair together back in the eighties. Everyone knew about it. I wouldn't be surprised if he was still wanting her," James shrugged. "You don't think I haven't covered my tracks? Her parents set up our marriage."

"There's something else you need to know; she repeatedly used the word divorce. My informant told me," he said.

"Who's your informant?"

"Hello."

They both looked up to find Rei standing at beside their table. She dragged a chair from another place setting and plopped down as if she belonged there nestled in between James and Darien.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked the two blackmailers in front of him.

"Because we know you hold the strings that your daughter is attached to," Rei answered. "I don't want her back in the show. I thought that exposing her to the real world of being a celebrity would help, but instead it just made her more famous in a good way!"

"So you're doing this for fame," he gathered. His blue eyes jumped over to Darien, "Why are you doing this?"

"I like her and I think she's been kept in the dark for too long. If Karen is going to be going through this, intimate details about her life and Serena's life will come to the surface. She needs to be protected at all costs. I figured you would be the man to do it," he explained.

James grabbed his phone and stared at the picture of Cooper's hand clasped over his wife's wrist. The marriage was arranged, yes, but he had gained a sort of possessiveness over his dearly beloved. The image spoke more than any words could at this point; the two were still in love. He had never gained her love or her trust. Karen used him like a pawn in order to get back into the states and into her parents' good graces. Although, he wasn't any saint himself. He had used her intelligence, their high profile wedding, and money to build an empire. This could all come crashing down if she divorced him. Her millions, her supportive name, and the contacts she had would be erased from him. And more to the point, Serena would find out that he wasn't her real father. The main reason the Hanovers chose him as their prime husband material was because he looked so much like the bubbling baby photos that were sent to them from France. It was like a bad soap opera story line, but it was all about image … everything was about an image.

And the one thing that was apart of that happy-go-lucky family image was not having a divorce. In fact, the main reason he had approached the subject at all with the Hanovers was because they guaranteed him that this high-priced marriage would last him for as long as he needed. He wasn't ready to break from this … not yet. If Karen was even thinking of divorce, he would have to destroy her and her reputation. James needed to get to Serena first and get her on his side.

"I'll take care of this," he announced before downing his drink. "Don't interfere unless I ask for it. Got it?"

They nodded in unison, signaling to him to stand up and leave the premises. He phoned his secretary as he left the bar and made it into his vehicle. He asked the drowsy sounding girl where his wife was staying. She gave him all of the information that he needed to enter her suite. Now the chips had to fall into place according to his own sick and twisted mind …

* * *

**Please review! More unveiling of Karen's past is coming up and few more unexpected turns are coming your way! ^_^**


	10. Chapter 10: Happily Never Ever After

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters nor any of the aforementioned products in this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Happily Never **_**Ever**_** After**

Karen sipped on her sparkling water as she looked out at the city on her balcony. She couldn't believe that she had waited this long to get here. She remembered her wedding day like … well not like it was yesterday because there was too much pastel that she recalled for it to be considered part of the twenty-first century. She did recall it as a strange and awkward family reunion of sorts with reporters there paid to write what needed to be documented.

* * *

That Wedding Day…

She stared at the mirror image projecting back at her. There was a lot of white, a lot of fluff, and too much sleeve; the dress was eating away at Karen much like the scandal. She sighed and stopped trying to satisfy herself. She turned around and gestured to the outfit, asking her daughter what she thought of it.

"Pretty!" the toddler screeched.

"Of course you would say that," she giggled, picking her blonde baby up into her arms. "Are you excited for Mommy and Daddy's wedding day?"

"Yup!"

"You'll be such a pretty bridesmaid. Aunty Raina is going to walk with you down the aisle, okay? And you remember what to do when I get there?" she asked her.

"Hold your flowers."

"Good girl!"

There was a knock at the door and Karen placed her child covered in taffeta back down on the bed. She struggled toward the entrance in her cupcake like dress.

"Who is it?" she asked before opening.

"Room service."

Karen looked through the peep hole and grinned; it was Cooper. She glanced over her shoulder at her daughter who was happily scribbling away in her coloring book. She opened up the door and shuffled out into the empty hallway to talk to him privately and away from their offspring. She smiled uncontrollably at him while also keeping an eye out for anyone that would catch them.

"You aren't going to let me in?" he asked.

"I didn't order any room service," she answered slyly.

He merely chuckled and looked her up and down, "You look … lacey."

"My mother picked this one out."

"Everything is for her right now, isn't it?"

"It has to be. I'll be cut out of the inheritance, I won't be able to provide for my daughter …"

"How is the little brat?"

"Wonderful. How's yours?"

"Funny. A nice zinger on my current marriage. So, she's what? Four? Five?"

"She'll be five next January."

"What's the date?"

"Why?"

"I want to send her a gift or a card."

"And how will you sign it? Love Daddy?"

"Har har."

"I'm serious Cooper," she said, her voice dropping down into a rather solemn tone. "I don't want you near her, I don't want you around her … I want her to have a fresh slate."

"With the movie star acting as her father?"

"Yes. There's a reason my parents chose him."

"This is ridiculous…"

"You had your chance."

"I did. Is this your way of saying I blew it?"

"In so few words."

"You're so catty."

"And you're so old."

The two stared at one another for a while, taking the other in. She was going to miss these little disputes, these back and forth fights. No one else could one up her with a witty line like he could. Who was going to keep her on her toes? Surely not James … that man struggled to keep her interest up until this point.

Cooper took a step back and shoved his hands into his pockets, "Alright Red, this will be the only time Serena will see me. I promise you."

"That's thing about your promises; you only keep them for as long as you see fit."

"Isn't that how they're supposed to work?" he winked.

"If you come into contact with her, _ever_, you'll regret it."

"Aw, really? We could have such great conversations, her and I. We could both muse about what it's like suckling on Mommy's nipple," he grinned.

"Why aren't you taking this seriously?"

"Because it's not serious. It never has been and never will be." He started to walk backwards away from the angry bride and said to her, "Save a dance for me, Red!"

But he never showed up to the wedding or the reception. Karen was given away by her father, photographers were strategically placed around the area to take beautiful black and white "candid" photos of them, and her daughter was positioned in between her and James for most of the time. It was a perfect wedding … at face value.

* * *

"Room service!"

Karen turned around and found Cooper, more aged and less hair walking into her hotel room. Pursing her thick red lips over a newly lit cigarette, she watched intently as he strolled in with a bottle of champagne. She didn't even flinch when he popped it on the balcony beside her.

"To your pending divorce!" he cheered. He took a sip from the bottle and then offered it to her, but she refused. Cooper furrowed his brow, "What's the matter, Ginger?"

"It's not serious. It never has been and never will be," she quoted him before taking a long drag of her cigarette.

"Oh don't tell me you're upset over that still!"

"What's changed since then?"

"Besides my aged body, your voluptuously filled out one, and the fact that our love child is a grown up able to make her own decisions?"

"So that's why you're helping me? Because you won't have to deal with Serena at all?" she inquired.

"That's not what I meant," he replied with a flop of his hands at his sides. "I just meant that we're at a good place right now. You're able to get out of your marriage without any repercussions."

She cleared her throat and stabbed her cigarette out on the railing, "About that…"

"What? Is there something I'm missing?"

"James and I signed a contract of agreement that I wouldn't divorce him."

"You can't be serious."

"It was drafted by my parents. If I break it, then I'll have to forfeit everything I received from the will," she shrugged.

"Is there a loophole of any sort? Jesus, Karen, I can't believe you would be so stupid to sign such a thing!"

"I'm not. It stipulates that if Serena is still under my supervision, even in the case of her being an adult technically, then I can get out of it without a scuff," she smiled.

"And what if Serena isn't on your side through this?" he asked.

"Then I lose everything."

"Other than your strong maiden name and me."

That last sentence made her look up at him with a teary expression. He smiled at her and laced his fingers through hers, leading her back into the dimly lit living room of her suit. The moonlight was giving off as much illumination as possibly needed. He put the champagne bottle down on the glass coffee table and picked up the mini Hi-Fi remote, pointing it toward the iPod dock. Out came the song "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson. He slipped his arm around her waist and started to slowly dance with her across the carpeted floor.

"I can't stand this song."

"Why?' she asked quietly, closing her eyes.

"It always reminds me of you and Serena. Denial. Betrayal…. And plus, I don't like Michael Jackson," he shrugged.

"Don't lie. Everyone loves Michael Jackson," she murmured.

"Not true. That man reminds me of you too much."

"I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted."

"'_Billie Jean is not my lover. She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son.'_ No Michael, you're right; the kid was my daughter," he laughed. Cooper tilted her face up to him and stared into her light blue eyes, "She really does have your eyes."

"And she's got your hair … or at least the blonde genes of your hair from yesteryear. I hope she doesn't gray within the next two years."

"Not funny. She'll gray by thirty, no sooner than that," he grinned. As they swayed to the music, Karen placed her head on his chest again, listening to his heartbeat. She didn't know if she heard him correctly when he said, "We should play this as our first song at our wedding."

She tugged away from him and stopped moving suddenly as an expression of shock washed over her face, "Are you serious?"

"It'll be like our little joke! Or maybe we should go for more traditional, but I mean it'll be your second and my fourth … or fifth? I've kind of lost track."

"I know what happens when you get married; I've been on the other side. I will not be your future ex-wife," she argued, pulling away from his grip and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Come on Red! I've never stopped loving you."

"Right. How many times did you say that Marianne when you were divorcing her last year?"

"She had a lot of money; I did what I could to keep her inheritance and celebrity contacts."

"Am I just a giant dollar sign to you?"

"No! You won't have anything by the end of this … that is if Serena is anything like you. If she has your temperament, then she'll surely be on James's side just to spite you," he mused.

"Wow … I forgot how incredibly cruel you can be when you've had a few drinks," she hissed.

"I'm just saying that you shouldn't assume that Serena is going to be with you through this. She still seems like a teenager."

"She kind of is."

"Whose fault is that?"

"Maybe if her father had been around…?"

"Okay and that's another thing; if we're going through this _together_, you can't keep ousting me like that."

"Forgive me if I have a hard time with this. Last time I believed you would be by my side, you walked out of the room."

"Your parents had a hand in it. You saw how we were duking it out, New York style. They wouldn't let me and Georgina go to one event without being there. It was like being smacked in the face every time I thought I could get away for a little bit."

She tried not to smile, but it was a difficult task, "You can't run away from your problems, dear."

"So I've learned. Let me make amends and take care of you! Don't let James hold you back."

"And what about Serena?"

"I'll throw her over my lap and give her a good spanking. That oughta make up for twenty two years, right?" he smirked.

"Oh yes, of course, and then you'll receive a whole slew of sexual assault lawsuits."

"Aw, you raised our daughter right, Karen!" he said in a mocking tone.

"I tried."

The two laughed, but it was short lived. A knock at the door interrupted their peaceful moment. With a smile still plastered on her face she asked who it was.

"Room service!" the person on the other side hollered.

She knitted her brow and tilted her head a bit as she tried to remember if maybe she drunk dialed them on her way in from dinner, "Um, I don't believe I ordered any room service, sir."

"It's compliments from the chef. He said he saw you stumble in and thought you could use some food."

"Sounds like you," Cooper mused.

She sighed and looked through the peep hole just to make sure that there was a bell hop on the other side. After evaluating his outfit and uncomfortable disposition for standing outside her door for an extended period of time, she determined that it was a true servant; no one liked serving people in large suites especially food that they didn't pay for, but they were trained to just deal with it. She let him in and strolled over to the couch, snatching up the champagne bottle. She took a big swig of it and then handed it to Cooper who was standing behind the large piece of furniture, studying the kid in front of him.

"How long have you been working here, kid?" he asked.

"A few months."

"Uh-huh … and do you go to school? You in college?"

"I go to UC Riverside," he answered.

"How you like those tuition hikes?"

"They're awful."

"How are you managing?"

"By the skin of my teeth."

"Are your parents helping you out?"

Cooper started to stroll around the edge of the couch as he studied the kid's attire. Something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on it. There was a little pin on his lapel that wasn't apart of a bell hop's uniform. With his eyes narrowed, he tapped the piece of jewelry with his index finger, making the young college student lean back uncomfortably.

"Is there something I can help you with sir?" he asked.

"This isn't a pin, is it?" Cooper replied, his eyes gliding back up to his face slowly.

The statement made the young servant turn as white as a sheet and then run out of the room like an Olympic sprinter. Karen shot up into a standing position while Cooper just jogged out into the hallway to see where the guy was going; he didn't head for the servant's exit, instead he went for the emergency staircase. He chuckled a little bit and shook his head as he returned to the room.

"What the hell was that?" Karen exclaimed.

"He must've had some sort of stupid little camera or something in that thing," Cooper explained. "He freaked out and ran."

"Why didn't you go after him?"

"You're the one always commenting on my old age."

"True, but he could have been working for James," she said.

"Huh … never thought of that. You don't really think he'd go to such lengths, do you?"

"Yes, I do."

* * *

James waited patiently for his daughter to arrive home that night from having dinner. He had expected her to be in already since he had just met with Rei, but the girl was a bit flighty and all over the place. So he sat in front of the television, watching some entertainment new channel with the sound off. He was planning on sending out the photos of Cooper and Karen together in the hotel room to gossip columns and newspapers. He had just received a few photos to his phone of the couple, but they were a bit blurry and they were the ones that his little minion was going to throw away. The other pictures needed to be completely developed and processed before he could see them, but he would get them before nine the next morning when he had an arranged meeting for him and Karen.

The door opened and shut suddenly, making him jump in the dark a bit. Serena's feet slapped across the marble floor as she carried her high heels and in her fingers. She tilted her head a little bit as she strolled toward the couch and sat down next to her father.

"Daddy?" she asked him. "What's going on?"

"I have something to tell you, Serena."

Her heart started to quicken a bit, her hands became clammy and sweaty, and she was feeling really scared. She picked up the remote off of the coffee table and with a push of a button let the lights in the room glow up a bit so she could see his face finally.

"What's the matter?" she pressed on.

"Your mother and I are going to be getting a divorce."

She swallowed a hard lump that had been forming since he first said he had something to tell her. When she could finally speak, she asked him, "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"She's currently seeing someone else I suspect."

"This doesn't have to do anything with the film? Or Cooper?"

"It has everything to do with Cooper."

"I saw them at dinner tonight!" she exclaimed, feeling completely disgusted. "I never thought that she would …. Oh my god … this is … excuse me."

She stood up to her bare feet quickly and ran into the kitchen – what James guessed – to throw up, but instead she went rummaging through their alcohol cabinet and pulled out a small bottle of tequila which she started take heavy swigs from as she came back to the couch. He chuckled a little bit and took the glass bottled away from her so he could have a sip himself.

"It could be worse honey," he reassured her. '_It __is__ worse, actually…_'

"So you and Mom will get a divorce and that'll be that."

"No, actually. I need you to be on my team through this."

"Why? Why can't I be neutral? I can't choose sides with you guys!"

"Sure you can and you're going to have to unless you want to support yourself finally and live on your own."

"So that's it? Choose you, mom, or be kicked out?"

"It has to do with a contract your mother and I signed a while back…"

"I don't understand."

"Everything will be explained tomorrow morning. You'll see."

Serena stood up and was about to go to her room when she stopped halfway and turned around, "Can you answer me one thing?"

"Sure."

"Have you ever cheated on Mom?"

"No," responded blankly. If Serena really knew her father and really knew what an amazing actor he was, she would have detected immediately that he was lying to her. The whole marriage was a sham from the beginning. Karen never went for a relationship during that time because she was too busy building an empire. James was allowed to do as he pleased, screw who he wanted, and being a bit more savvy than Cooper, he learned not to leave a baby trail.

* * *

Karen got dressed in her best black and gold stitched skirt suit; she was going into the death of her marriage Day 1 with pizzazz. She smoothed out her skirt and slipped into her paten leather shoes. While putting in her gold earrings she glanced in the mirror at the reflection of Cooper putting on his cuff links.

"You're sure you don't want me to come along?" he asked.

"What would you possibly say? You would only cause a scandal," she mused with her silky voice slipping into his ear as he approached closer.

"I'd be there for moral support and snappy, witty remarks from the side lines."

"As charming as that could be, you know how James detests jokes."

"You married a man without a sense of humor? How did you manage all these years, Karen?" he asked.

"I concentrated on Serena. James and I lived in two separate spheres. Why do you think this worked for so long?"

"I suppose so … probably why my parents survived until death."

"Do you think we'll be like that?"

"Married until death? With my track record and old age…"

"Please don't talk like that. You'll make me regret what I'm doing," she pleaded as she turned around in his arms and placed her hands flat on his chest.

"This should be for your benefit, not anyone else's."

"But if I am left out to dry, then—"

"Then nothing. I'll be right beside you whether you like it or not," he interrupted, lifting her chin up. "Now do you have the documents to show Serena?"

"Yes."

"Good. Finish your make-up. I want to grab a cup of coffee before we head into your office together with guns blazing."

"You're really bent on coming with me!" she smiled.

"Yes. This is the start of a new beginning!"

"Uh-huh … we'll see about that."

The two of them finished getting ready, made their way out of the hotel, and even stopped for coffee before heading up to the office that would most likely become James's now that she was divorcing him. After all, the company was in his name completely and fully. She would have to start over from scratch, but luckily she would have the late, great Hanover name helping her along like it always did.

When they made it into the office, the front desk secretary stood up and rushed in front of her, "Good morning ma'am!"

"Good morning, Heather."

She stopped her boss hastily and said, "Karen … I think I did something wrong last night."

"Honey, if it's a pregnancy, there's something called Planned Parenthood. Otherwise, you know that there's a maternity leave package attached to this job," she smiled.

"It's not that at all! Your husband called me late last night …"

Karen yanked the young fashionable woman away from the closed office doors and whispered to her, "What did he say to you?"

"He asked me about your hotel information. I was half awake … I didn't know that you two were divorcing," she said with shaky hands and threatening tears.

"Jesus, Heather, calm down. It's alright. You did what you thought was right at the time. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt," she soothed, rubbing the girl's bare arms while Cooper handed her a hanky from his breast pocket.

"Thank you Karen," she sniffed

"Now here's the million dollar question; will you be on her side when she leaves the company?" Cooper asked.

"I … um…"

"Don't make her choose," Karen murmured.

"You'll have to do it sooner or later!" he replied.

Shaking her head, she looked back at her secretary and told her, "Stay here if you wish. I can understand if you don't want to jump ship."

"I-I don't understand," she sniffed.

"Of course you don't sweetheart. Go sit down and answer the phones. Hold all of their calls today unless it's Mr. Roddenberg," Cooper instructed her.

"Oh he's already here. He's waiting for you inside," she announced.

"I see. Thank you, Heather," Karen breathed as she backed up and started to stroll toward the double doors with Cooper behind her.

She pushed open the doors and felt faint – although one would never know from the stoic look on her face. Serena was sitting on the couch next to her father with glossy photos of Cooper and her mother in the hotel room the night before. She sighed quietly as she shut the doors and walked in completely. She sat on the couch with Cooper beside her across from her daughter and her future ex-husband.

"I take it your father told you everything?" she asked Serena.

"He showed me these pictures of you and Coop together in a hotel room," she answered with venom sliding over her words as she pointed to the glossy pictures. "What were you doing there?"

"We were dancing," the silver-haired man answered.

"Cooper, please," Karen insisted as she held onto her large brown envelope tightly. Looking back at her blonde girl, she tried to explain herself, "I haven't been happy with your father … _ever_. The marriage between us was an arranged one."

"What?" Serena asked, looking between her two parents.

"He didn't tell you that? I'm surprised, James," she said slyly as she moved her gaze to the father-imposter. He was shaking his head at her, not wanting these details to come out. "He didn't tell you anything, I'm guessing."

"What does he need to tell me?" she exclaimed. She looked over at her father and asked him seriously, "What don't I know?"

"Her parents were very controlling and they sent her off to France unless I married her," he lied.

"That's how you want to play this? Really? _Really_?" Karen snapped. "Fine. I'll let her know everything." Her flaring eyes shifted toward her daughter as she started to tell her what happened, "I was young. Very young. I met this guy and he opened my eyes to so much in the world. I wasn't innocent mind you – it was the eighties, no one was – but I was still sheltered. I ended up getting pregnant with you and my parents gave me an ultimatum; marry the man who knocked me up or go to France to wait for a man who they would approve of. I don't know if you remember, but our first year on the Rivera was filled with suitors that I turned away. Hell, one time you took your applesauce in your hand and threw it at a prospective Prime Minister of England!"

"Wait … wait," Serena begged, her voice cracking. "I … he … he's not my dad?"

"Not biologically, no," James answered. "But I've raised you since you were five. I'm still your father in that sense."

"You lied to me. You _both_ lied to me! You told me when I was a kid that 'Daddy' was gone on business trips all the time! Then he all of a sudden reappeared in my life and I was living like a normal kid in American schools!"

Her leg was shaking uncontrollably and her face was becoming spotted with red marks. Serena leapt up to her feet and started to storm out of the office. Cooper followed suit and reached out to grab her wrist, making her turn around and glare at him harshly. She wrenched her arm from his grasp, swung back, and slapped him across the face.

"Nice to meet you, _Dad_," she growled before running out of the building completely.

He groaned a little bit and rubbed his cheek as he made it back into the room where James was up getting a drink, his face pale and sweaty. Karen was leaning on her knees, biting her nails again. She got up from the couch and took a few strides toward Cooper, examining the reddening wound on him.

"I'm fine," he shrugged. "If Serena is anything like you Karen, that won't be the last smack down I receive."

"You're so full of yourself," James snarled as he sipped on his dry whiskey.

"And you're so self-righteous! What made you think that this would turn out alright?" he snapped back.

"The contract," he answered.

"I was never going to stick with that and you know it," Karen replied.

"Your father will never let you touch his money!"

"Oh and he'll let you? Please…"

"Ricky, Lucy, can you please calm down?" Cooper asked. "Look, James, one of us needs to do damage control. Serena won't be on anyone's side at this point, but I don't want her to be completely shattered over this development."

"Oh, look at that! The man has a paternal instinct!"

"It has come a little late, Cooper," Karen mused as she crossed her arms over her chest. "James, please go find out where Serena went off to, track her down. She'll listen to you."

"How am I supposed to find her?" he replied.

"You were the one who installed a GPS tracking device in her car. Use it!" she exclaimed. "Damn, I am _definitely_ the brains in this marriage!"

He ignored her comment and asked, pointing to the table, "What's in the envelope?"

"Serena's adoption papers and the contract we signed."

"You were going to show that to her?"

"I was going to threaten you with it, but I didn't have to show her, thankfully. Now please, get out of here!"

He left his full glass of whiskey on the table and quickly walked out of the room to try and find his daughter. He took out his iPhone and started to type into it, logging onto some website that tracked down the chip he placed in her car. Sure enough, he didn't even need it; she was heading home as he suspected. Most likely, she was packing her things.

* * *

Serena rushed around her room as she stuffed her belongings in her designer suitcases. She heard the door shut and close, but didn't stop what she was doing. In walked Darien with a concerned expression over his face as he leaned up against the door frame, watching her throw her clothes into her luggage. He felt some what responsible for her frantic disposition since he was the one who exposed her mother's infidelity to James in the first place.

"So you know?" he asked.

She stopped what she was doing and turned around to look at him, "Know what?"

When she phoned him up to come over, she never mentioned the reason why she needed to see him, yet here he was inquiring that he knew something. She gripped tightly onto her silver jersey cloth tunic that was in her hand and took a step toward him. He straightened up a bit and lowered his head.

"I … I know what happened."

"So you know that James isn't my father? How long have you known? Did he tell you everything? Have you been laughing in my face this whole time?" she shouted.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, leaning backwards in order to get away from her intruding voice. "I know about your mother's divorce and affair with Cooper. What the hell is going on?"

"Fuck you. You've been trying to get in my pants since day one! You're nothing but a horny, fame-loving celebrity like the rest of them. Go to hell and stay there, Darien!" she shouted, pushing him out of her room.

"Serena—"

She slammed the door in his face before he could try to explain himself. She continued pack her things, only to fall to the ground suddenly in a fit of tears. Why was her whole world deciding to crash down now? No one was telling her the truth and everyone was deceiving to her in order to get what _they_ wanted! She needed to get away … she had to leave. Serena pulled her phone out and clicked through a few contacts before coming to the one she wanted; Mina.

"Hi … no I'm not alright…. I need a place to stay. I'm moving out of my parents' house in Los Angeles. Would it be too much trouble to ask for a couch to sleep on? …. No, of course not. Thank you, Mina. I knew I could count on you. I feel like you're the last friend I have…. I'll text you when I'm at the airport. Okay. Bye!"

She clicked off the phone and smiled, remembering all of the good times she had with Mina back in New York. That's a place where people were brutally honest to one another and they didn't lie. New Yorkers weren't afraid of the truth; it would be the perfect place for her. She finished packing her stuff and then got onto her MacBook to start looking up flights from LA directly to New York. It was time to start fresh.

* * *

James rolled up to his mansion driveway only to find Darien sauntering out to his own flashy car. He quickly turned his car off and jumped out. When he made it to Darien, he threw him up against the large SUV by the scruff of his collar.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he exclaimed.

"Serena called me over. I thought it was about the divorce, but as it turns out, it's more complicated than that. You're not her father? Way to go James. Should've told me!" he argued, pushing him off of his body.

"I know. This is all turning out to be like a scene from your crappy drama television show, minus the guns," he scoffed. "I didn't have to tell you anything though. Everything was fine until Cooper shoved his fat, tanned nose in this. He's the cause for all of this drama."

"What?"

"Cooper is her biological father," he announced to Darien.

His grey-blue eyes widened and then narrowed quickly with anger. He didn't have anything more to say to James. Instead, he had a bone to pick with his beloved agent who was going to be fired after he got a few punches to the face. He sped out off of the premises, leaving James to go and console his daughter.

"Serena?" he hollered into the large estate.

She opened up the door to her bedroom, on the phone with a car service clearly, "Yes, I have five bags with me. No, it'll just be me so we can fit stuff in the back seat if need be…. Okay, thanks. I'll see you soon." She glowered at him and crossed her arms, "Hi Dad … or should I just call you James from now on?"

"Serena please—"

"Don't. I really don't want to hear it and I think after all of this, I deserve some space," she said.

"Can I at least ask where you're going?"

"I'm going to New York. I'll be living with Mina for a little bit," she announced.

"You're taking this a lot harder than I expected."

"My life was a _sham_!"

"No, the marriage between your mother and me was a sham. Your life was just merely fabricated for your protection."

"You don't get it. You all have only cared about yourselves. If anyone ever cared one iota about me, none of this would have happened! Grandma and Grandpa shouldn't have shipped Mom off, you shouldn't have taken this role of being my father for years, and Cooper should have admitted his mistake … even if it was _me_. Everyone plays a hand in this. I'm sick of it. It's disgusting."

"So you're going to runaway?"

"What can I say? It seems to be in my genes."

There was a knock at the opened up front door and in walked the chauffer that was going to take her to the airport. She bid him in and started to get her things together. James simply stepped to the side and watched as she walked out of the home he had practically built for her and their family. Even if she wanted out of this whole world, she would come back to the shattered mess that was left behind called her life. He would have to wait for her to come back to him at this point. She was an adult after all; she needed to learn how to grow up, make something of herself, and when she was ready, he would be waiting to explain himself with or without Karen at his side.

* * *

**Please review! NYC is up next!**


	11. Chapter 11: Hot Child in the City

**So sorry that it's taken me so long you guys! I have been on vacation, in the middle of moving, and now my new apartment doesn't receive internet. However, I will do my best to update as often as possible! Please enjoy this next installment! ^_^**

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**Chapter 11: Hot Child in the City**

It had been a week since Serena had flown the coop, aka Los Angeles and Darien couldn't help but flash himself in front of the paparazzi. If he was going to grab her attention in any way, shape, or form, he had to make a statement which he had been doing all week. He first socked a paparazzo in the face for heckling him, then he walked out of a club hand in hand with some washed up Disney star who was all over the cameras like a bad cold. Next he started a shouting fight with Rei while he was on a balcony of a club and she was walking to her car across the street. He had been reckless to say the least and it still hadn't gotten him a phone call or text message. Not even a concerned e-mail! How heartless was she? _Really_?

Then again, he was being a little spoiled himself. Here, Darien was still in LA when he had all of the resources to fly out to NYC. What was a private plane flight across the country to get the girl of his dreams? Okay … maybe that was a bit over the top, but he couldn't get her out of his head. Every time he saw some one with super long, bright blonde hair (which wasn't that hard to find in LA) he went crazy and turned the girl around. He was always sadly and predictably disappointed. His friends thought he was going psycho and his co-stars we afraid to mention her name around him because then he would go off on a rant about how he should have punched his agent when he had the chance. And speaking Cooper … well the man was m.i.a. He had been bouncing all over LA in order to avoid Darien and his frightful fist. However, the time had come now to put his client in his place and vice versa.

The said client was surprisingly keeping himself cool in Cooper's office, sitting casually on the couch with his hands folded behind his head. It was a little too relaxed for the tension that was still brewing between the two of them. He knew that Darien knew he was Serena's father; it was all over his e-mail, voice mail, and text messaging. The two had yet to hash it out and get it all on the table. This was LA; people were just as fake as their breasts and tans.

"So… what was the point of this meeting?" Darien asked.

"I'm your agent," Cooper answered, "these are kind of necessary in order to get your career moving along the right track."

"Can we pause it for a moment?"

"You can't pause a train, Darien."

"I want to go to New York."

"Is it to chug-a-choo-choo after little Miss Serena Roddenberg?"

"You mean Serena Crane?" he corrected snidely. "Let's not tip-toe around this. She's your kid, right?"

"Jesus, you've got that brutally honest New York twang already," Cooper sighed as he shook his head. "Yes. I've been helping her mother out recently—"

"And knocking her up years ago, subsequently."

"Okay playboy, quit it with the witty report," he begged. "I made a mistake and I'm paying the repercussions of it twenty some odd years later."

"Do you even know how old she is? What her favorite color is? Who she looks up to?" Darien started to pester.

"She's twenty-two, her favorite color is pink, and she looks up to her mother," Cooper answered as he poured himself a partial glass full of dry bourbon. If the man was going to get the third degree at three in the afternoon, he had to have a drink … or two or three.

"Two out of three …"

"What'd I miss?" Cooper asked.

"Her favorite color is baby pink."

"Now we're just getting nit-picky and technical!"

"And she loves to eat anything greasy or crunchy … or with chocolate … or cream-filled…"

"I know something cream-filled you want her to—"

"She's your kid man! Don't make a sick sex joke!" Darien spat.

"I keep forgetting she's my blood…. It's weird," he shrugged. "But if I'm going to put on the fatherly trousers, then I have to ask this infamous question; what are your intentions and are they sinful?"

The dark haired hunk thought about it for a moment, chewed on his nail, and then answered, "I can't get her out of my head. I kept willing her to call me, e-mail me, tweet me or send me a Facebook comment … _anything_."

"Is that why you're blowing up your face all over town and across every single glossy tabloid known to man?"

"Yes."

"Thought so."

"I'm pissed at you, but I figured I'd unleash my anger out after I get Serena back here on the west coast to do the honors first," he suggested. "How do I go about this?"

"Don't knock her up and leave her alone for years on end. Her mother will ultimately send her to France or some other foreign country as punishment," Cooper grinned as he sipped his drink.

"Seriously! What do I do? How did you get Karen back in your grasp?"

"I didn't. She sort of just stumbled in … no thanks to you. You were the one who wanted Serena to be on the show with you. You were the one who wanted to get closer to the golden family. I was just the guy who pulled the strings along to help."

"Can you work your magic on the east coast? Call an ex-wife or two to get Serena to meet with me somewhere fabulous?"

"First off, never say the word 'fabulous'. That's reserved for the ladies luncheon at the penthouse terrace on the Upper East Side, go it?" he snapped suddenly. "I've heard that three-syllable word too much in my lifetime … I ran away to the west to never hear it again."

Darien chuckled as he watched his agent shutter at the thought of the word being used one more time.

"I promise to never utter it in your presence," he smiled. "So do you think you can get something arranged?"

"Why are you doing this again? Clearly it's not for my benefit…"

"Do you remember when you first fell in love? With one of your many wives?"

"I didn't fall in love with _any_ of them," he announced as he sat down on the couch across from his client. "I fell in love with Karen during my second marriage and never fell out of it. I was constantly looking for that spark in every new marriage. I never found it until that curvaceous redhead came sashaying back into my life." He took a big sip of his drink and leaned forward, "You have to be ready for as much rejection as possible. I should know; I've dished it out plenty of times to her mother."

"I can take it."

"Can you?"

Darien held the older man's gaze defiantly and said, "Yes. I can."

"Fine … I'll hold you to it then. Get your ass on a plane. I'll make some calls. Check your phone the moment you get off the plane and you'll have a car waiting to take you to your destination," Cooper order.

Darien fled the offices of Goldman and Crane and left his titled agent to deal with his own problems at the moment. Sure enough, the man was calling up a woman; a very special woman. A half an hour later, after Darien had left, in sauntered Karen Roddenberg who was soon hoping to go by her maiden name, Hanover. She clacked loudly through the marble floored building in her designer shoes and knocked lightly against the opened door of her baby-daddy.

"What was so urgent that it couldn't wait a few hours?" she asked.

"I'm too eager with news to let you torture me," he smiled, closing the door and pulling her body toward his. He started to press his lips against her neck as he mumbled roughly, "I've missed this scent, this touch!"

"If this was the emergency, then you made me cancel my hair appointment for nothing," she sighed, wrenching out of his grip. Stepping back and smoothing out her deep purple dress, she asked him, "What do you want, Cooper?"

"Red, our baby girl will be coming back to the nest which means we have to be prepared to tell her the whole story," he declared.

"Serena is as far away as her missing passport will allow her to be; she won't get any closer to me," she sighed.

"I've taken care of it."

"In the span of a week?" she asked with an arched eyebrow. Karen sat down removed her white fitted leather gloves, "I'm intrigued. Continue and make me a martini while you're at it."

He did as he was told and quickly made up two cocktails for them. He handed her one of them and sipped on his quickly before continuing on with his proposition.

"I've sent Darien to the east coast to bring Serena back," Cooper smiled broadly.

This statement made Karen nearly spit up her beverage, but like the lady she had been raised to be, she kept it down. She placed the martini glass down on the designated coaster and was about to get up to leave when he reached out and grabbed her.

"You've asked that mongrel to get my baby back? I don't know what you were thinking…"

"He's in love with the girl! He can surely sweep her off her feet!"

"I don't want him to. I'd rather have her hate _me_ than be in love with _him_!" she snapped.

"What is it about those two that irks you so?" Cooper asked.

"He reminds me of you. Suave, smooth, handsome, famous, and a heartbreaker."

He didn't respond right away, but kept sipping on his drink. He was shocked that because Darien was like himself, Karen was completely opposed to the whole situation. Cooper had always thought that it was because of her husband, James. However, that didn't seem to be the case and it made him upset on the inside. Karen could tell he wasn't happy about her answer and she stood up to move over to the opposing couch and sit down beside him. She placed a slender hand on his knee and tilted her head with concern.

"Please don't be like this," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I just don't want her to go through what I had to."

"No, no. I understand," he argued. "I hurt you deeply. But you do realize that Darien isn't me? He hasn't even been married yet."

"Oh come on! In today's society having a long-term relationship is equal to marriage. Most marriages in Hollywood end before my fresh farmer's market flowers die," she snickered.

He merely nodded and smiled weakly, "Right…"

Karen sighed loudly in frustration and stood up to her feet. As she smoothed out her skirt, she said, "I can't nurse your emotions right now. I have a daughter to worry about, a divorce to go through, and a crumbling company to build back up."

This snapped Cooper out of his depressed daze, "Crumbling? What do you mean?"

"You of all people should know that my husband is trying to get as much from this divorce as humanly possible. The company is completely in his name so he's trying to take away as much as he can … including clients, assistants, and contacts around the world."

"What does he think he's going to do with them? The man can't make a film without you around!" Cooper exclaimed as he leapt up to his feet and spilled his drink onto the couch, floor, coffee table, his own pants and a little bit on Karen's shoes.

"I know, but he wants to make me as miserable as possible like I have explained to you before," she said, shifting her weight to her other foot. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and meet with a divorce attorney…and get my shoes cleaned."

Cooper placed his now empty glass down on the wet coffee table and slipped his arms around her curvy waist. She pursed her lips and lazily plopped her own arms on his shoulders. He kissed her nose and then pressed his forehead against hers.

"Call me later? I'm sorry for being so entangled in my feelings, but I can't help but take it personally when you tell me that you don't want Serena with Darien because he reminds you of me. It's a bit heartbreaking."

"It's brutally honest," she corrected him. "Los Angeles has softened you."

"I love you Red … I want to marry you."

She kissed him before saying to him seriously, "I love you too. It's a dangerous, _dangerous_ move, but I can't help it."

"What if Serena can't help but love Darien?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," she answered.

"_We_?"

"Well I won't be dealing with her by myself. You have to learn how to be a parent sooner or later," she smirked as she pulled away from him and started to collect her things. "I'll talk to you later Coop."

With that, she left the office with his eyes glued to her twisting and turning rear end. He didn't know how their relationship had turned into this, but it felt good to have her back in his life. He had fallen so deeply in love with her unexpectedly back in the eighties that now all he wanted to do was make up for lost time.

* * *

And speaking of lost time: Darien thought the long airplane ride across the states was going to make it so that he couldn't wine and dine the famous blonde girl. But he did what his agent asked him to do and checked his phone. Sure enough there was an itinerary and agenda for him to follow. How the hell Cooper had gotten all of this, he didn't know, but he wasn't about to question it. He strolled across the airport, making it to the baggage claim. He retrieved his luggage and then walked outside to find not only the usual paparazzi waiting for him, but there was a man waiting at a town car for him with his name scrawled across a large piece of thick white paper.

"Well no wonder the vultures knew where to find me," he grumbled as he pushed his way toward the car.

The chauffer helped him load in his baggage and once he was buckled up inside the car, they drove off to a hotel that Cooper had fixed up for him. He pulled his phone out and called the son-of-a-bitch with a grin across his face.

"How's the three hour time difference? Ready for a drink yet?" Cooper asked on the other line.

"Always," he laughed. "So where am I staying?"

"Waldorf Astoria," he answered. "You have suite in the floor right below Serena. I suggest you just head off to bed and when you wake up, you can start the day off just right."

"I'm not going to immediately pursue her?"

"No. Let the news of your arrival reach her. Trust me; it's New York, she'll find out."

* * *

Serena had arrived in the city ready for a fresh start away from all of the terrible flashing bulbs, awful questions thrown at her, and the memory of her shattered life. She was the flame though and the paparazzi were the pesky moths. Mina had been a wonderful hostess for the first few days until Serena had insisted that she stay in a hotel room herself. The two had hung out as much as Mina's busy schedule of working at a photography studio would allow her to. She worked closely with famous fashion photographers who had their images plastered over countless covers of Condé Nast and even America's Next Top Model.

That morning, Serena and Mina decided to share breakfast together at a nice coffee shop around the corner. This was one of the few days that Mina had off due to her job; it was fashion week. The two of them received exclusive front row tickets. She wasn't like other girls, being all excited and overly jumpy at the sight of a label. Instead she was more interested in people watching those who were examining the clothes. Mina had a knack for design and what to wear to certain events where as Serena just wanted to relax and sit in jeans and a t-shirt. As they glanced through the menu of the restaurant, Serena couldn't help but feel as though she was being watched. She sat up straighter in her seat, placed her laminated menu down and looked around the small area for a familiar face. She found it.

"Darien," she whispered.

Across the room, through the glass doors leading out to the balcony, he was sitting drinking a cup of coffee and having a smoke with his classic sunglasses shoved on his face. She should have just stayed at the table with Mina, but she felt some sort of force pulling her toward him. So she got up and stormed out to him on the balcony. He was "reading" a newspaper and supposedly didn't notice her presence. What bullshit.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

He folded his newspaper onto his lap and tapped his ash tipped cigarette into the available ashtray. Darien removed his sunglasses from his face and squinted up at her, studying her disposition so he could determine how to go about this situation.

"Two people can't be in the same city at once? Especially a place like Manhattan?" he asked.

"No. Not _us_. We're two people who _really_ shouldn't be around each other. I need to get away from my life," she answered.

"Why are you running away from your problems?"

"I'm not running away … I'm taking a break."

"Yes you are running away. You're pulling the exact stunt your mother did."

"You don't know anything about my mother."

"Jesus on a stick Serena! Will you stop closing off! What is it going to take to get you to understand that not everyone is out to destroy you?"

"You don't get it. Everything I thought I once knew, my whole family, has been a sham. I've been living in a dream world for the past twenty-two years."

"The past is what has made you who you are today. You can't change it so why bother fretting over it?" he asked.

"Have your parents ever lied to you about this big of an issue?" she retorted.

He took a drag of his cigarette and then answered with smoke flowing out of his nostrils, "Yes. When I was younger and I first started out in this business, making real money, they told me that they were taking some of my paycheck to put in a trust fund for me. Turns out they were gambling it away at casinos, on investments in bogus stocks, and even taking it to the race tracks. By the time I turned eighteen and was on a stable enough road to control my money, I cut my parents out of my life as much as I possibly could. They have a good life, a nice house, and great living in Palm Springs where I hope they will stay for the rest of their lives."

Serena listened to his speech quietly and bit onto her knuckle. She hadn't expected him to burst out with the huge chunk of information about himself. He had been such a mystery and closed off until she was finally out of his grasp.

When she didn't say anything in return, he took a final drag of cigarette and stabbed it out. Darien sat up straight, downed his coffee, and closed his bottom button of his charcoal grey coat. She noticed and immediately reached for his hand.

"Would you like to come and have breakfast with me and my friend Mina?" she asked suddenly.

He grinned a little bit to himself; obviously opening up to her worked somehow.

"I've already had my breakfast," he smiled.

"Coffee?"

"With a cigarette," he added.

"Come on," she ordered, tugging him up from the table.

She led the way back to the table where Mina had already order them both fruit bowls. She looked a little irritated, but she immediately lit up the moment she caught sight of Darien.

"Mr. Shields!" she beamed, holding her hand out to him.

He kissed the top of it and said with a confused expression, "Hi there. I feel as though I should know you."

"That's just Mina's personality," Serena grinned.

He sat down and asked for a warm apple turnover for breakfast from the passing waiter as they continued on with the conversation.

"So what are you doing here Darien?" Mina asked as she stabbed into her cantaloupe.

"Can't a guy take a trip to the east coast without being questioned?" he replied.

"Not you," Serena murmured behind her strawberry filled mouth.

He sighed and said, "If you must know … I'm here to check out the runway shows."

"I don't believe you for a _second_!" Serena laughed, throwing her head back.

"What shows do you want to see?" Mina asked, her face glowing just as much as Serena's, but she knew how to keep herself reserved.

He shrugged as he took his phone out and looked through the agenda that Cooper's assistant had sent him. Sliding through the lists, he finally came to the ones that were starred and the ones that not only he could go to, but also ones that Serena was bound to go to.

"My stylist told me to go to Versace and Dolce and Gabbana, those were the two main shows," he announced to them.

"You're kidding," Serena breathed, rolling her eyes.

"We're going to those shows too," Mina informed him. "First we're going to Diane von Furstenberg. Would you like to join?"

"Please! The last time he time he took me to a fashion show, he flashed his money in my face and bought me a dress," Serena scoffed.

"All the more reason to bring him along," her friend smiled.

"Let him buy _you_ something then," she sneered.

The three of them finished their food quickly and then promptly made it out to the busy street where Mina skillfully called for a taxi. They all climbed in, drove down to Bryant Park and were photographed on their way inside. It hadn't occurred to Darien that Mina had just suddenly invited him on a whim and that there might not be a seat for him. Upon entering the tent, she worked her magic and made it so someone moved to the second row instead. They sat down afterward the name was moved from the seat and they started to look around at other people filing in. A photographer came over and took a picture of the playboy sandwhiched in between the two blondes. He could see the headlines now comparing him to a young Hugh Hefner.

The show started with bumping music that could make anyone's foot tap uncontrollably to the beat. The bright clothing with tiger and leopard print stomped down the runway with colorful lights flashing at the top of the catwalk. Darien leaned back in his chair, sighing to himself and folding his hands across his lap. He could see Anna Wintour across the aisle in the front row leaning forward and studying the clothing as it fluttered in front of her sunglasses covered eyes. He was about to snort out a bit of laughter when he felt a slap on his shoulder. He looked over at Serena who was pointing at the current model fiercely walking down the runway; it was Lenora.

"Holy crap…" he whispered.

"Did you know she would be here?" Serena asked.

"No. No I didn't. I knew that she was a model now … but I didn't know the extent of her career," he answered.

When the show was done and over, the three of them casually made their way to the backstage area in order to get their names on certain pieces and so that Darien could seek out his ex-girlfriend. This whole time he assumed she was just going to be doing some silly beauty shots or something of the sort, but then here she was at a high fashion runway show. He found the said girl standing by her clothing rack with photographers and entertainment reporters surrounding her; obviously they hadn't realized she would be here either. Darien walked up to her cautiously, not sure if he should hug her or if she was still angry about the way they ended things. With the cameramen in their faces, they had to push a smile onto their lips and hold one another like they were old friends. When the buzzards had finally flown off to some other celebrity that was spotted back there, Darien and Lenora could relax.

"Hi," he greeted with a breathy tone and a shaky hand running through his hair.

"Hey stranger," she grinned.

"You look good."

"It's the make-up," she laughed. "These artists are amazing, really."

"So you've been discovered I see."

"Sort of."

"What does that mean?"

She coyly batted her lashes at him and dragged him away from all of the ruckus going on. The two of them ended up loitering around the untouched buffet table while other people who were backstage were offering to buy some of the pieces that had come straight off the runway. Serena was among one of them, eyeing a purse for herself while chatting up the model who had walked down the catwalk with it. Lenora noticed Darien's watchful eye over the blonde bombshell.

"You wanna know how I got this job?" she asked, grabbing his attention again.

"Yeah…"

"Your agent got it for me," she said curtly.

He shook his head and looked back at her with a quizzical look etched over his face, "What?"

"Cooper said I was too much of a distraction for you. In reality it was always Serena—"

"He asked you to move out of the United States in order to get what he wanted?" he asked baffled by the situation unfolding.

"He paid for the plane ticket and first months rent which you can see has paid for itself in full and then some with this huge modeling boom I've been getting," she smiled devilishly.

Darien put his sunglasses back onto his face and immediately made his way toward the nearest exit so he could call his so-called friend.

"How's the big apple?" Cooper asked on the other line. "Are you exhausted of all the pretentious assholes?"

"No, I'm just tired of one," he replied. "I ran into Lenora."

"Oh?"

"She was a model in the Diane von Furstenberg show."

"You sound like you have a point to make."

"I do. You ordered her to move here?" Darien asked.

"That's a harsh usage of words," Cooper argued.

"Oh that's right! You paid her!" he roared.

"Don't get all emotional…"

"You're fired."

"Darien—"

"Seriously. You're fired."

He hung up the phone before Cooper could make a snide, witty comment or remark. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to find Serena in a new pair of sunglasses courtesy of the designer herself.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah … or at least I will be," he answered. "You wanna get out of here? Maybe go some place quiet? Like an empty movie theater!"

"Why? So you can have your way with me? I wouldn't be caught dead in a darkly lit room alone with you," she scoffed.

"I'd beg to differ," Darien smirked.

"Come on, let's go find Mina and finish our rounds of fashion shows."

"Nah. You go ahead. I'm going back to the hotel."

"Where are you staying?"

"Waldorf Astoria just a floor below you," he answered.

She shook her head in sheer, laughable disbelief, "Just when I think you're not a sly dog…"

"I'm a puppy that needs training," he corrected.

The two of them smiled warmly at one another as Mina strolled up with a bunch of tiny pieces of paper, receipts for dresses and swimsuits, as well as Polaroid pictures in her hand. She looked between the couple and gave a knowing grin toward Serena who noticed, but ignored it.

As they walked down the wheelchair ramp, Serena said over her shoulder, "Come pick me up tonight at seven and we'll go have dinner together. It's time _I_ trained _you_."

He smiled and nodded as he took out a cigarette. Things were working out alright. Maybe it was the Manhattan air, the New England way of life, or just the fact that Serena was free from all of her family drama, but she was beginning to get closer to him. Darien couldn't have been happier.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the west side of the continent…

Karen was busy typing away on her computer trying to salvage what sort of connections she had left after the destructive path her future ex-husband had paved. People were either messaging her back with declines or not at all. There were a few, a very good few, celebrities, producers, and writers who said they wanted to continue working with her.

While sighing and typing and sighing and typing, she heard a knock at the door of her hotel room. She stood up and strolled over with a stressed out expression written all over her face. When she opened up the door, she was surprised and happy to see Cooper, however he looked just as stressed out as she did.

"What's up?" she asked.

"We're going to New York," he announced as he breezed in past her without even an invitation.

"W-what?" she exclaimed.

"Pack your bags! Let's go!" he hollered.

"I don't understand, Cooper. What is going on?"

"I don't want to live in a Peyton Place movie themed life," he breathed as she walked up to him. He clutched her shoulders and continued on with his explanation, "I have supposedly been fired by Darien."

"Excuse me? What did you do now?"

"I sent his girlfriend off to London to pursue her modeling career and he found out," he answered. "I don't think we can sit around any longer and let him run the show."

"So now that you don't control your client anymore, you've lost your confidence in him?" she said with an arched eyebrow.

"Pretty much."

Karen passed him a small smile. She knew that he hated losing control over anything and everything, but she had a way of calming him down. She took hold of his hand placed him down on the couch alongside her. Rubbing the bottom of his palm, she looked at him directly in the eyes.

"I love you dearly, but we can't just fly out to the east and crash in on Serena's life. As much as I would like to do that, you know it won't work. She's old enough to do what she wants. She'll come back to me. She'll come back to _us_."

Cooper exhaled loudly and laid out across the couch and then rested his head on her lap. Looking up at her, he said, "Why do you always know the right things to say?"

"Because I know our daughter best," she answered. "Don't worry; you'll catch up."

She leaned over and kissed him on the lips gently before patting his chest and pushing up into a sitting position.

"Now come on. Get going. I have to finish scrounging up some clientele," she ordered.

"Okay. Love you Red," he whispered, kissing her temple.

He left her hotel room only to book a room himself … in Manhattan that is.

* * *

Serena was just about to finish up placing a third layer of lip gloss when there was a knock at her door.

"Finally!" she whispered.

She took one last look at herself before bounding off toward the entrance. Not even bothering to look through the peephole, she asked in a joking manner, "Who is it?"

"Room service."

"What the …?"

She opened up the door to find that the person at in front of her was Cooper.

"What are you doing here?"

He walked right in and slammed the door behind himself, "I'm taking you back. Let's go." He paused for a moment and took a look at her before asking, "Good god girl! You look like you're ready to go disco the night away with Twiggy and Andy Warhol in that get up!"

"I'm sorry, did you say that you were here to take me away?" she asked, trying to get back on topic.

"Yes."

"Did my mother send you here?"

"No. She completely forbid it actually," he replied as he looked around the hotel room. "The only way I could get in here is by telling them I was your agent and needed a room right next to you. It worked."

"So if she doesn't want me back, why are you here?" she asked him.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Cooper finally made eye contact with her, "Did you have sex with Darien?"

"N-no! Why would you ask me that?" she screamed.

"That's how trouble starts," he explained.

"Are you speaking of me or my mother?" Serena quipped.

"Eh … both. Your mom got into trouble for years on end and I'd rather you not do the same," he said. "Sex in this city is all bad."

"You sound like a pastor on Sunday morning."

"Touché my dear. But seriously, I got into my first marriage because I wanted to have sex, got out of it because we didn't have sex and then destroyed my second because I had too much sex with your mother."

"Ew, t.m.i." Serena crossed her arms over her sequined dressed chest and tilted her head, "So what did you do with Darien? He should have been here a half an hour ago."

"That kid is always late. I know him too well," he said. "So before he gets off his lazy ass and makes it here, will you come with me back to LA?"

"What's in it for me?"

"Your mother's love?"

"Try again; I'll always have that."

"Okay, you want my honest answer? Darien has been trying his hardest to get connected to you and your family in any way," he said. "He wants to try to get up in the ranks any way he possibly can."

"You think I haven't figured that out?"

"Nothing will get you back to the west, will it?"

"Nope."

* * *

What Serena didn't know was that Darien was a little bit earlier than expected and had heard most of the conversation outside. He was starting to walk down the hallway for the elevator, when he heard the door open up. He was met up at the slow moving contraption by Cooper.

"Shouldn't you be back in there? Meeting up with your dream date?" he asked.

"Shouldn't you be dragging your daughter back to la-la-land?" he retorted.

Noticing Darien's tone of voice, he followed him into the elevator. Cooper pressed the floor level button. As they traveled downward, Cooper kept stealing glances at him, but the celeb-brat wouldn't make a move; not even a blink of an eye.

"Listen Darien—"

He was suddenly placed up against the wall by Darien's strong hand. His fingers wrapped gently around his neck and tightened bit by bit as he spoke menacingly to his ex-agent.

"I'm going out to a club opening on the upper east side," he said to him. "I will not bring Serena, I will not return her texts, her calls, or anything of that sort. Tomorrow, you will take her back to California and keep this reputation I seemed to have built."

"W-what? *Cough* What is wrong … with … you?" Cooper choked out.

He let go of his throat and sighed, "She thinks I'm a just a run of the mill celebrity."

"Well if you continue on like this, then yes she will think you're just some stupid star," he said, rubbing his neck slightly. "Listen, her mother is scared of you being around her because you're like me. Why don't we prove her wrong by not pulling my stunts."

"Your stunts?" he asked.

"I've left Karen countless times. Don't do the same thing to Serena. Please."

The elevator arrived at the ground floor and Cooper stepped out of it.

Alone.

He turned around and looked back at Darien pressing a button and waving goodbye. When the doors shut completely, the silver-haired fox pulled out his vibrating phone and answered it.

"If you're going to yell at me, I can stop you right in your tracks Karen. I'm coming back. Darien is nothing like me. He won't desert her… Uh-huh …. Ooh, I get punished when I get back? I can't wait…"

He left the hotel in order to get back onto his private jet and fly back to the arms of his beloved. It was strange how he had become Darien's mentor and Karen was Serena's natural mentor by default. He would leave his child in this city only to come back to her original state soon enough.

* * *

**Please review! ^_^ I didn't have time to read over it as thoroughly as I usually do, so forgive any grammar mistakes. lol**


	12. Chapter 12: Finally Here

**HOLY CRAP! It's finally here! I'm so sorry it's been so long! I've been trying to squeeze in writing in between work, school, and an internship. Love you all! Thanks for sticking in there!**

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* * *

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**Chapter 12: Finally Here**

Serena was confused by the turn of events. Very confused indeed. First she was to be whisked off by Darien on a lavish date. Then she was to be whisked off by her real father back to the west coast. Now she was waiting around for at least one of them to turn up with some other crappy explanation. She sat on the white leather couch with her shoes tossed off, her hair let down, and her nail polish completely bitten off due to anxiety.

"Men will be the death of me," she murmured as her leg shook uncontrollably.

There was finally a knock at the door, disturbing the unbearable silence. She leapt up and sprinted to the door, causing a sudden run in her stocking. She whipped the large white door open and was a disappointed at the sight in front of her; a bellhop with a folded note.

"This came for you miss," he announced, handing it to her.

"Thank you," she mumbled, snatching it out of his grasp and slamming the door in his face. Under normal circumstances, she would have tipped him and politely sent him on his way, but she was livid. How the hell could Darien stand her up like this? She wasn't some two-bit tramp that he could throw away! She wasn't Lorena for Christ sake!

She decided to pour herself a glass of chardonnay and then read the letter; things were only going to get worse, so she should at least have a drink to take the edge off. She took a careful sip from her crystal wine glass, took an even more careful deep breath, and then began to read what it had to say.

"_Come to the rooftop_."

She furrowed her brow, blinked a few times and then read it again.

"_Come to the rooftop_."

"That's it?" she exclaimed to no one in particular. "What the fuck is wrong with him?"

Grunting out loud, she slipped on her shoes, stormed out of her room, and promptly started to clack up the single staircase that led from the penthouse suite to the roof. Once she made it, her overwhelming enragement subsided quickly. In front of her was probably the most romantic and most cliché thing she had ever set her eyes on; a small candlelit dinner for two with a bottle of iced champagne. Darien smiled as he stood in his black button down shirt, gunmetal blazer, and a pair of slacks. He had no shoes on which seemed odd to her, but she ignored it for the moment and removed her heels. She padded over to the table and was pleasantly surprised at his gentlemanly ways; he pulled the chair out for her, asked her if she was cold, offered her his jacket, and when she declined, he preceded to uncork the champagne.

"I was expecting that note to say something else," she said.

"Like what?" he insisted as the cork popped off the roof. He looked over the edge and passed her a look of childish trepidation.

"I thought it was going to say you were leaving for California," Serena answered.

"Give me a _little_ credit," he replied, pouring her a glass of golden liquid. "I have more class than that. I set up this whole dinner after all."

"That's another thing; this is all _too_ wildly romantic. My mother wouldn't even put this in her movies," she commented before sipping her drink.

"If you hate it that much, you can always leave," he said sassily. Darien removed the lids off of their plates to reveal her meal; French onion soup, a thick sourdough sandwich containing turkey breast, spicy mustard, basil, tomato, lettuce, and sautéed red onion. And to top it off there was a side of seasoned garlic fries. This meal always gave her the worst breath possible and she had complained plenty to people about how she could never eat these few things together because she never knew who she had to speak to next. He must have done research in order to figure out that this was her favorite meal.

"I'll have to brush my teeth for _days_," she said happily as she placed her napkin in her lap.

The two started to break into their food almost silently; only the sounds of munching, metal to plate clanging, and Serena groaning like she was experiencing an orgasm. Clearly, Darien had done the right thing. He had made up slightly for making her wait as long as he did.

"So what took you so long?" she asked. "If you had this prepared before hand, then there was no need to be over a half an hour late."

"You're right," he replied. Darien leaned back, dabbed the corners of his greasy lips, and then said truthfully, "I heard your conversation with Coop. It pissed me off. I was ready to leave this whole city completely." Serena stopped eating and stared at him as he went on, "I felt … ashamed. I'm just some stupid Hollywood elite who wanted your mother's prosperous name a guide to the Oscars. The easiest way I thought I could do that was by seducing you. However, that all backfired when I actually realized that …" Darien looked away from her prying gaze in order to sigh and then he finished his sentence, "When I actually realized that I could have true, unfiltered feelings for you."

Serena's face softened and she cleared her throat uncomfortably. She knew what his ulterior motives had been from the start, but she had never once believed that she was guilty of the same emotion. Had he really penetrated through her many, many thick layers of armor? Darien wasn't her type! Right? He was a smoker, a looker, a sarcastic joker, a player, and … and something else. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Have I made this awkward?" he asked suddenly, bringing her out of her daze.

She shook her head and blinked a couple of times as she stammered, "N-no! I'm sorry! I was just off in my own world." She was about to take a bite of her sandwich when she paused and stared at him, "To be honest… you're not the type of guy I would go after. Being seen with you … it makes me uncomfortable." Before Darien could open his mouth up in protest, she continued, "_But_ you've some how intrigued me for this. I mean I worked on the show with you and agreed to go on this date with you. Who knows what's next." Darien raised a suspicious eyebrow and she retorted, "Not _that_."

The two chuckled and then finished up their food with a light conversation finally taking over their discussion. They were both relieved to let go of the crazy intimate talk and instead joke about friends and recent cultural events. But then the discussion led back into a darker realm; family.

"So you said you had taken care of your family for most of your careered life?" Serena prompted. "How did that shake up your relationship with them?"

"It was always like an earthquake with them," he replied, shaking his head. "A small shake here, a small shake there and then suddenly BOOM! I was neck-deep in bills that I couldn't afford. Even after my Oscar nod, I was still in debt. It was all over the papers. Only when I got them both into rehab did I start to get on my feet again. The tabs said _I_ was the one with problem … they made up all kinds of stories."

"Were you upset with them?" she asked.

"I still am," he shrugged. "It's a never ending battle with them and I'm their shield."

She reached out and placed her hand over his, "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"I know, but—"

Her phone suddenly went off in the middle of her sentence. Serena blushed and retracted her hand from Darien's in order to see who was calling. It was her mother. She ignored it. After about thirty seconds of silence though, it rang again. It was her mother. She ignored it. They played this game for a good four or five times when suddenly Darien's phone was the one buzzing uncontrollably. It was Cooper. He answered.

"Yes?" he sighed.

"Put Serena on now," he ordered.

"Why? She doesn't want to talk to Kar—"

"James is fucking dead!" Cooper shouted. "Both of you stop little brats and get on the phone now! If I can talk on the phone while on a plane, surely you can do it while on top of a hotel. Grow up!"

Serena's digital device rang once more and this time Darien gave her a look that said she should pick up. Her face scrunched up in confusion and curiosity as she pressed the lit up green button underneath her mother's flashing picture.

"What is it?" she answered with a snappy tone.

"You need to come back to LA," her mother's voice quivered on the other end.

"Mom, I'm in the middle of—"

"James has been killed in a car accident," she interrupted. "If you don't get over here now, your hotel room will be swarmed with paparazzi." Serena was too stunned to respond. "Please." She still didn't respond. "Serena … he's your father. He was the one who had been around for all of those years of your life. He deserves to at least—"

"I know. I know. I'll get on the next flight, I swear."

She hung up and stared at Darien who was now putting on his jacket and slipping his shoes over his bare feet. He extended a hand out to her and tried to give her a reassuring smile. She laced her fingers through his and led the way off of the rooftop down to her room where she called for a bell boy to take care of her things while Darien took care of arranging for a private jet to take them back to the west coast.

* * *

Karen didn't know what to do with herself. She paced all around her hotel room, waiting for Cooper's flight to get in. She hadn't noticed that she had created a nice little foot path for herself in the carpet when there was a sudden knock at her door. She jumped in response and ran to the door, yanking it open. There he was; silver hair and all. He opened his arms up to her and she immediately went crashing into them, crying and sobbing hysterically. Cooper gently pushed her into the hotel room and tried to guide her over to the couch, but she pulled away without warning, hyperventilating hysterically.

"I can't breathe," she whispered as she shifted from one foot to the other and started to shake her hands uncontrollably. "I'm so upset! I can't breathe!"

"Shh," he soothed her, grabbing onto her slender hands. "Calm down. Take a deep breath. Look-look at me. That's it … now breathe in … and out …"

She followed his breathing exercises and soon found herself in a tranquil state, even though she was still crying a bit. He ran his knuckles along her soft, pink cheek and then cupped her face.

"It's alright. You're okay," he said to her.

"I'm a widow," she replied, her voice still shaking a bit. "You're going to marry a _widow_."

"A rich widow," he winked. "This got you out of that nasty divorce you were about to go through."

"Don't make a joke," Karen insisted through her congested voice as she strolled across the cream colored carpet and started to make herself a drink. "I'm not in the mood for jokes."

"Is Serena coming back?"

"Yes. She has to."

"How did he die, exactly?" Cooper asked as Karen handed him a glass of scotch.

"He was going the wrong way down the freeway. They suspect he was under the influence of something, but we won't know until they do an autopsy," she said as she wiped her sniffling nose with a monogrammed handkerchief.

Cooper strolled slowly into the kitchen after her and closed the wide gap she had created subconsciously. He could tell that she was feeling responsible for James's death. She always carried such a burden on her shoulders whether it was to protect her family's good name or fake husband's reputation. Why did she always have to take on so much? He couldn't wait to finally marry her and take her away from all of this. She deserved relaxation for once.

"Karen," he said, tilting her head up so that her light blue orbs would look at him, "please don't feel guilty. I can see it swimming through eyes."

"Oh I can't help it!" she cried, stomping her bare foot in resistance against the tile floor. "If I hadn't tried to divorce him … if I had just stuck with it …"

"You would have been miserable," he finished. "Trust me. I should know. I've been through enough miserable marriages myself."

"What are we going to do Cooper?" she asked, flopping her hands at her curvy sides in defeat. Shaking her head, she continued, "If we get married, it will only raise eyebrows."

"Everyone knew you were going through a divorce. E! News was covering every detail like it was a terrorist attack on Hollywood," he responded. "If you don't want to get married, then you don't have to. I love you though. I want to be with you."

Her eyes suddenly shot up to meet his in order to catch his sincerity; there it was. Written all over his face. He really did love her, didn't he? She grasped his face into her hands and kissed him deeply. When she stepped back, she studied his features again and saw that the love still hadn't left his face. She smiled broadly.

"We've finally made it," she whispered.

"Excuse me?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

"You're too old to go bouncing around from one woman to the next so now you're able to finally settle with me," Karen grinned.

"You make it sound awful!"

"Well, technically it is, but it's the truth," she shrugged.

"Are you always going to be this brutal?" he laughed.

"Yes," she nodded before downing all of her drink.

"What can I do to squash your feelings of despair?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and nuzzled his chin into the nook of her shoulder and neck.

"Sleep with me? And I mean fall asleep, not having sex," she corrected quickly as they swayed back and forth slowly.

"Done and done. Anything else?"

"Be here when Serena gets in?"

"I may or may not be able to do that for you. Darien will be coming into the atmosphere and that means more damage control for me," Cooper explained with a heavy sigh at the end of it. "But I'll do the best I can."

The two strolled into her bedroom, got undressed, and slipped underneath her Egyptian cotton 300 thread count sheets. They were in paradise.

* * *

As the plane landed, Serena looked over at Darien who hadn't removed his hand from hers. He was looking out the window at the sun starting to tint the black sky blue. He glanced back at her and smiled when he noticed that she was staring at him. They hadn't moved past the simple gesture of holding hands, but that was perfectly fine with both of them.

"Are you alright?" Darien asked.

She nodded silently and then lifted the arm rest that separated them. She took his arm and made him wrap it around her shoulders so that she could snuggle up against him. It felt nice to finally have someone just hold her for once. She pressed her ear against his chest and listened to his heartbeat; it was soothing.

The plane came to a halt and the flight attendant waited for the steps to descend down to the ground completely before gesturing to the two of them that they could leave. They both got up and walked out still holding hands. It was all up to Serena if she decided to let go of him. She could see the paparazzi swarming inside the airport, trying to get a good shot of her and Darien. She merely shrugged at the idea of being photographed. She put on her sunglasses, shifted in her cream and grey colored poncho, and then strolled on into the bustling airport. Camera's flashed and snapped senselessly as the couple sauntered out to the front where a black car was waiting to take them away to her mother's hotel room.

After a forty-five minute drive that was clearly followed by some of the camera vultures they had seen at the airport, they pulled up to the hotel. Serena looked out the tinted window out at the tall building before someone with a snapping, flashing digital device blocked her view and made her jump backwards into Darien's arms.

"You should get out there before they take over, ma'am," the driver in the front stated. "Would you like me to call security?"

"No, that's not necessary," she answered. She looked over at Darien and asked, "Are you going to come up with me?"

"I think I should head back to my apartment," he sighed. "You need to be alone with your mother. I don't want to interrupt that."

She gave him a curt nod and was about to jump out of the car when he held her back and smashed his lips against hers. He didn't pushed for anything more. Darien just wanted to express to Serena, physically, that he was there for her. Feeling her lips against his made his skin light up and his veins felt like they were being electrocuted. Serena pulled away after a minute of the same feeling and tilted her head in surprise. A small smile was tugging at her mouth as she stroked a finger across her lower lip. She giggled a little bit, kissed him lightly once more, and then breezed out of the car as quickly as possible. It all went by so fast. It was only seconds.

He had the driver take him back to his apartment, his lips still tingling with the phantom presence of Serena. He couldn't believe he was finally here. He waited so long to get to this place of comfort. There was always something drawing him to Serena; something tugging at his heart strings. Darien couldn't understand what it was about her, but he liked it. A lot.

As they pulled up to his apartment complex, he hesitated getting out. Was it right for him to leave her alone back there? After giving it another thought, he decided it was. He pushed his aviators onto his face and got out of the car with the flashing bulbs of the paprazzi going crazy in his face along with the brilliant LA sky being tinted orange from the smog. He was handed his duffle bag quickly by his chauffer and he threw it over his shoulder as he strolled into his building, cutting off the leeches who wanted at him twenty-four seven. He rode the elevator up to the fourth floor where his large, yet modest apartment lay. He requested from his realtor that he get a new place that would seem more clean cut, modern, and put together. He didn't want to live in that god-awful one-room loft anymore. If he and Serena were going to be "for real" then he needed a place that he could feel comfortable taking her to.

Darien unlocked the apartment only to hear that someone was already there. He creased his forehead with unwanted curiosity and quietly moved through the entrance, closing the door behind himself silently. He turned the corner into his huge living room and discovered someone climbing out of the window onto his fire escape; it was Lorena.

"What the fuck!" he exclaimed as he threw his duffle bag on the ground and went running after her.

* * *

**That's right. I'm leaving you on a cliffhanger. Find out why Lorena is at his apartment next! Also Serena goes through the trials of having a famous relative die. Will Karen and Cooper really go through with having a wedding? All of these questions and more will be answered in the next chapter!**

**Please Review! I'd love feedback!**


	13. Chapter 13: Funeral or Bust

So sorry this took so long! More chapters to come! ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters or any of the aforementioned products in this chapter

* * *

**Chapter 13: Funeral or Bust**

Darien had just come home to his loft being broken into by his ex-girlfriend Lorena. He chucked his duffle bag down on the floor and bolted after her before she could make it out of the open window. He knew he should have put in that security system sooner. He grunted loudly as he grabbed onto her arm, threw her to the ground and in the same motion he took out his phone and dialed 9-1-1. Darien slammed the window shut and squeezed his grip tighter around Lorena's skinny upper arm. He dragged her to the couch and placed her down roughly while speaking to the authorities.

"Hi, I'd like to report a break in," he said with an exasperated tone. Darien ran a hand through his hair as he continued, "I … Darien Shields… Yes that is my current location. Correct. Okay … no I don't think anything was stolen. I haven't looked yet… Yes, the perpetrator in question is being held right now… Okay. Thank you. Five minutes? Perfect."

He hung up his phone and sat down next to Lorena who was now crying quietly and wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her black cardigan. He tilted his head and narrowed his gaze at her, trying to understand why she did this.

"Why … why did you break in? What were you doing here?" he asked gently.

Lorena didn't answer at first. She sniffed a little bit and the reached over for a tissue from the glass coffee table. After dabbing her face, she began to explain herself.

"I need money," she whispered.

"So you decided to break into my apartment?"

"Technically I didn't break in," she replied as she shoved her hand into her tight acid wash jeans. She pulled out a gold key that he had given her when they were dating.

"Did you steal anything?" Darien asked as he stored the key away into his pocket safely.

"Yes," she answered truthfully. "I stole the shirt you wore in your first movie. I sold your infamous crystal encrusted belt buckle that was supposedly emulated after your erect penis."

The two of them laughed at the idea of someone else wearing his belt buckle. He hadn't worn that thing since he was seventeen. He remembered the uproar from his agency, his fans, and the press. Thousands of parents wrote to him, saying how degrading he was for exposing his reproductive parts in such a fashion. A bunch of celebrities soon ended up copying him with belt buckles with breasts on them and hands making gestures such as peace signs or flipping the bird.

"Did you steal anything else?" he sighed.

"Just one other thing," Lorena said with an uncomfortable, twitchy tone to her voice. "That uh … that ring of yours."

"My mother's engagement ring? You _hocked_ my mother's engagement ring?" he exclaimed as he jumped up to his feet.

"I needed the money!" she screamed.

"For _what_? What could you have possibly needed?" he roared back.

Lorena took a deep, shaky breath as she responded to him, "I just needed it … I am in a lot of pain."

"What kind of pain?"

"Just … _pain_."

"Are you… on drugs?" he pressed.

She merely glared at him which gave him his answer. Her face was pale, her eyes had hefty bags under them, and at least one body part had to be shaking or moving. She was not the same, happy person that he had met a few months back. The modeling industry had destroyed her.

There was suddenly a knock at the door that disrupted their standoff with one another. Darien strolled over to the door and let the cops inside. He gestured to Lorena sitting on the couch and started talking to one of the police officers.

"Would you like to press any charges?" the cop asked him, batting her eye lashes at him. She clearly had a crush on this super star celebrity – like everyone else.

"Yes I would," he said. "I'll even go down to the station to give a statement."

"That won't be necessary," she blushed. "We can take care of it here."

The male officer who was busy arresting Lorena, rolled his eyes and handed the culprit off to his female counterpart. "_I_ will take down your statement. Officer O'Hara, you can take this lovely woman to the precinct, can't you?"

"Yes, I can," she answered through gritted teeth.

Darien watched as Lorena was taken out of his apartment in handcuffs. Before she could be taken down the stairs, he stopped them. He snatched up his leather jacket and handed it to them to cover her head with.

"She will get eaten alive by the paparazzi," he said to the female officer. "Please keep this over her head."

She did as he asked and escorted Lorena out of the building with the jacket kept over her head. He shut the door once she was out of his sights. He turned back to the remaining police officer and started to file the documents necessary. He hoped that this would some how help Lorena get back on the right track. Maybe the judge would force her to go to rehab or something. She was clearly on some type of drug or addicted to something if she had the audacity to sell the one prized possession he owned.

After giving his statement and seeing the officer out of his apartment, he called Serena to make sure she was doing alright with the death of her father. Even through all of the chaos of this break in and Lorena trying to get back into his life, what he worried most about was Serena. His feelings for her weren't fake. He was truly falling for her…

* * *

Serena stood in front of her mirror, smoothing out her black Stella McCartney dress. When she had originally gone to go get a dress from the boutique, she had looked at the white version of the dress she was wearing. It was see through on the top with carefully placed polka dots and a matching solid skirt. It was all in black. Black. Black. Black. Black meant death. A death usually meant a funeral. But this wasn't just any funeral … this was a funeral for the man whom she had _thought_ was her father. How was she supposed to talk about him at the funeral? She was the one giving the eulogy. Was she supposed to lie? Or tell the truth? She had no idea.

She turned around from her saddened reflection and stared deeply into Darien's eyes. He was sitting on the end of her bed, right in front of the bathroom door. Her hotel suite that her mother had reserved for her downtown was more than flashy what with a chandelier in the middle of her lavender colored room.

Serena placed a lazy hand on her newly found friend's shoulder. He, in turn, played with a long golden lock that had slipped out of her pinned up ballerina bun. Darien had refused multiple times to come to the funeral with her, fearing that the press would be too much for everyone else, but then he finally caved when she told him it wasn't about everyone else; it was about _them_.

"Thank you," she whispered, taking his warm hand into hers. "I don't think I'd be able to do this without you."

"It's my pleasure, Serena," he replied gently. "I know you're going through a rough time. I just hope my presence doesn't make this any worse for you."

"It makes it a lot easier knowing that you'll be around to catch me if I fall."

"I always will be," he grinned.

Before she could lean down and plant a pink Chanel colored kiss on his cheek, there was a knock at her door. Her mother's signature red hair popped through leading the way for the rest of her to come in. She took a few steps in followed by Cooper, Serena's biological father, but would she call him her "_real_" father? Probably not.

Karen sighed and shook her head slightly as she looked her daughter up and down, "Are you really going to wear that? You can see through it."

"I have a silk slip on underneath it. No flash photography will get through to my breasts," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Are you two ready to go? The car is waiting," her mother announced.

"There's enough room for the four of us and his big ego?" Serena asked, pointing to Cooper.

"It will be a tight fit, but we can manage," he grinned.

The silver fox clenched his grip on Karen's shoulder while trying to keep his smile on his face for as long as humanly possible. Ever since the death of James, his life had been a little bit harder. Karen had grown distant, she wasn't planning for their future engagement or their future wedding. He had been so sure that he had made the right choice by coming back into her life…now he constantly questioned it.

Darien stood up and helped Serena into her Versace coat and followed the two "adults" out of the room. They walked out of the building and got into one long Lincoln town car. Serena claimed the last seat beside a window. This spot guaranteed a distraction from looking over at her mother or Cooper, but it also was the spot where the first person would get out when dropped off. She did her best to not think about the image of her dead father in a casket, waiting to be buried out in some plot in Napa next to his grandparents. It wasn't his time. It wasn't _her_ time to lose a father.

Before she knew it, the car came to a halt in front of the church where they would say their final goodbyes. She blinked a few times before putting her sunglasses on and then turning to the helping hand of the doorman. She waited for Darien to get out after her before proceeding into the church. The flashing photographers and screaming reporters were held back by police and an old fashioned red-velvet rope barricade.

As she walked down the long aisle of the church to the front pew, she looked at Darien beside her. He looked great in his Roberto Cavalli suit, tailored just fit him in all of the right places. She wondered what a real relationship with him would be like. And by "real", she meant without photographers following their every move, and having a job that would allow her to have a family. She would love to just settle down and start something stable without being recognized for it.

"You alright?" Darien asked, noticing her distraught expression even behind her black sunglasses that she still had on.

"Oh … erm, yes, I'm fine. Well, you know, as fine as I can be," she whispered as she took her glasses off and sat down beside him in the pew.

Serena looked over her shoulder as her mother and Cooper sat down next to her. She immediately spotted Rei sitting a few aisles down and across. How could you not? The woman was wearing a bright red Versace coat. As if she couldn't scream for more attention from the press, she had to do it here at Serena's father's funeral. It made her dislike the woman a little bit more.

"What are you staring at, darling?" Karen asked.

"Rei," she answered. "Can you believe what she's wearing?"

Karen arched her neck and giggled a little bit when finding out what Rei was wearing. She looked back at her daughter and said, "Well at least she isn't showing as much skin as you are."

"Mother!" she whined.

"What? It's true," she shrugged.

The funeral started to finally take off after about twenty more minutes of waiting. There was a prayer service, a few words from the pastor, a tearful few speeches from friends and family, and then the will reading was held in between the ceremony and the reception. The will was short and sweet; everything went to Karen and Serena. Karen was slightly shocked at the idea of having to take over the whole company again, but she took it with stride. Serena was going to occupy the house and decide whether to keep it on the market or have it all to herself. She could even rent it out if she wanted. The thought of having to tend to something so heavy with so many decisions made her breathing a little more shallow.

She left the private room where the division of property was being held and tried to get some fresh air. It felt like the atmosphere was stale in the empty church. Her head started spinning a little bit until she caught a focal point to look at; Darien. Serena collapsed into his arms and asked him to take her away to the one place that she knew she would be safe.

"And where's that?" he asked with an arched eyebrow while hugging her close. It was fine for them to show off as much affection as they wanted in the church now; everyone had left for the reception at a private club downtown.

"Take me to the Hilton."

"Why?"

"Mina's there." Before the two could embark on their journey, Serena felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see her teary eyed mother standing there. She pulled herself out of Darien's embrace and announced, "I'm going to be a little late to the reception."

"How late?" Cooper asked.

"Does it matter?" she snapped.

"Serena!" Karen scolded. "He was just asking. There's no need to give him such a tone."

She merely narrowed her gaze and pursed her lips before turning around and clacking out of the church with Darien following her. Karen raised her arms up in the air exasperatedly and then started to walk out with Cooper. The two of them hailed a taxi down and got in to go the reception at a club named "Rumor" which was fitting. This was a place where tons of rumors circled about the elite in the wee hours of the morning. Then the gossip trickled down to the agencies, to the magazines, the tabloids, and photos accompanied them for "proof". It was disgusting.

Karen shuddered a bit as she strolled into the club. She smiled at the first few people who greeted her and she grabbed a few appetizers. She led the way to an empty, private corner where she and Cooper could speak alone without being interrupted by family members or concerned clients.

"Well you got everything you wanted," Cooper commented as he took two glasses of champagne from a tray being carried by a waiter. He sat down and handed one to Karen. She took it mournfully as he continued, "You didn't have to go through the divorce and you ended up getting the company back. You also got your inheritance."

Karen's eyes were glazed as she stared at the tiny bubbles in her drink and tilted her head slightly, "They're going to investigate me."

Cooper finished his swig of his champagne before asking, "Excuse me, what?"

"They will investigate me… my parents," she repeated as-a-matter-of-factly. She downed her skinny flute of champagne and smacked her lips before continuing, "Since this wasn't a natural death, they will do an autopsy, investigate all possibilities and make sure there was no foul play."

Cooper's open hand curled into a fist and he felt as though he was swallowing a golf ball size lump. He tried to cover up his sudden despair by taking a sip of his drink only to find that he had already finished it. If he was going to make it through the night, he was going to have to get stronger drink than this. He excused himself and made his way through the crowded, somber feeling club to the bar. He asked for a double whiskey with a shot of coke a cola in it so he could down it faster while bringing out his phone from his breast pocket. He pressed the name he needed and then listened for the other line to pick up. When it finally did, he started to speak.

"Hey, it's Cooper. I'm going to need to meet with you tomorrow. You know what it's about… Yeah … the investigation will be going under way soon," he said. He received his drink and left a twenty down on the counter while listening to the person on the other side. He nodded a bit and replied, "Great. I'll be there. Say, noon? Perfect. Thanks."

He hung up his phone, chugged the rest of his drink and then strolled off back to his lovely date, the newly widowed Mrs. James Roddenberg.

* * *

Serena had removed her uptight hairdo and let it fall carelessly around her shoulders. Mina scooted closer to her on the white leather chair in the hotel suite and ran a hand through her lovely locks. A small smile curled the corners of her lips.

"Will you move in with me? Into the new place?" she asked.

"Really?" Mina replied with an arched eyebrow. "You want me to move in with you? Are you sure that's so smart?"

"It will be better than living alone," she shrugged.

"You sure you don't want _him_?" Mina gestured with a tilt of her head toward Darien.

Darien's tensed up shoulders slouched at the mention of him moving in with Serena. Mina turned around and winked at Darien, showing that she was only joking. She looked back at her friend and clenched onto her hands.

"I know you're going through a tough time," Mina said quietly, "so are you sure about this? Are you sure you don't want to think about this for a few more days?"

"No. I'm sure," she said definitely. "I mean, I'll have to figure out what to do with all of his furniture and his stuff, but I would like for you to live with me … if you feel comfortable."

There was a pause before Mina spoke again. She had to think about this carefully. Did she really want to move back to the fast paced lifestyle of LA? It was going to very different compared to her life in New York. There, people didn't know who you were. They all kept their heads down and didn't look up from their destination. In LA, people were fake, they looked you in the eye without any sincerity and they expected you to lick their foot in order to get an interview with anyone that would hire you. The thought of coming back here was disgusting to Mina. But with one look into Serena's begging eyes, she caved.

"Fine," she sighed. Mina's eye rolls and exasperated sighs were covered by an overjoyed hug from Serena. When the young blonde finally let go of her, she relaxed a bit and shook her head, "I can't believe you left the reception to come here and ask me to move in. You haven't even received the proper documents or anything yet."

"You know … I really didn't want to be there," Serena sighed. She bit her lower lip to try and keep it from quivering. A few thick tears rolled down her cheek and she sniffed a little bit, "My life is … it feels like it's in shambles."

"It's not in shambles," Mina whispered as she rubbed Serena's back. "It can be whatever you want it to be. You can turn this tragedy around and come out on top. It's all up to you. You're a strong woman."

Serena started shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. She just couldn't help herself. The grief and agony she had kept inside for the past few days was now coming to a head and she couldn't contain it anymore. Mina worriedly looked back at Darien who took a few quick strides across the room to console her. She waved away his outstretched arms and stood up immediately. Serena cried her way into Mina's room and shut the door behind herself. When Darien walked up to the closed door, he asked if there was anything he could do.

"I just need to be alone for a little bit," she groaned through the barrier.

He sighed and walked back to the couch to join Mina. She pursed her lips and turned the television on, only to find that Darien and Lorena were on the entertainment news station. She turned it up to hear what they had to say about him while he just placed his head in his hands.

"High profile movie star Darien and his ex-lover, Lorena, are in more hot water. As we all have been watching lately, Lorena has become a booming force in the modeling industry. She was the face of Louis Vuitton and had just signed a contract with Lancôme cosmetics. These coveted spots in the fashion industry were going to make her a household name until she was arrested just a few days ago. Darien had reportedly found her breaking into his Los Angeles loft in West Hollywood. The model was able to pay her bail and is now waiting for her trial which isn't for another month. There has been speculation that there were items were stolen from his home, but nothing has been recovered as of late. For more on this story, watch E! news live tonight," the reporter concluded.

Mina couldn't help but snicker a little bit at the ridiculousness of it all, "Seriously … what the hell is going on with you?"

"I've been having some troubles, clearly," he replied.

"Does Serena know?" she asked quietly.

"I don't think so. She's been wrapped up in this drama in her family lately," he answered. "I don't want to worry her about this."

Mina leaned over and grabbed her glass of water that was sitting on the table. After taking a sip, she said to Darien, "You want my honest opinion about this whole situation?"

"Not really."

"Well too bad. You're going to get it," she snapped. "I don't think you should be in her life. I think she has enough on her plate as it is."

"That's not your decision Mina," Serena said from the doorway. She was leaning against the frame and was still brushing tears away from her glowing face.

Mina stood up and walked over to her friend, "I know it's not, but—"

"Don't," she interrupted. "I'm a grown woman. I can make my own choices." She licked her lips and averted her gaze to Darien, "Let's go. My mother is probably waiting for me."

Mina couldn't help but feel as though she had stepped over her boundaries. She waved goodbye as the couple left her apartment. She hoped that Darien would heed her word and maybe step back a bit from Serena's life. Everything was unraveling around her and all Mina could do was be there when Serena would eventually need her.

* * *

Up next is Cooper's meeting with this mystery person, Mina's move in with Serena, and Darien's own troubles start to form. ^_^ Please review! Thank you!


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